The project's main emphasis is on the institutionalization of grass roots groups, i.e. on providing the community (considered to be the actor most likely to guarantee the sustainability of resources) the means to negotiate with other parties by achieving true recognition (with official certification of the groups occurring much later). Functional literacy education was a key factor in the self-development of fishermen and women, making them full partners in discussions with institutions.

The project is fully attuned to the notion of a plurality of interests. On the one hand, individual aspirations are legitimized through the trend toward specialization, particularly among women. On the other, common interests (protecting the environment) create a sense of cohesion that encompasses the entire community (exchanges, the right to choose regional representatives).

Monitoring the estuary is less expensive here than elsewhere, and government officials recognize that their efficiency is greater, because the area is occupied by a group that is aware of its own interests and of the existence of more precise and consistent regulations.

The overall volume of fishing has declined, but the profits on this resource now go entirely to local families (with a turnover of CFAF 10 million, divided between fishermen and women who process fish, for barracuda alone). Training and market rationalization have resulted in a maximum distribution of profits.

Community demand for training and other support is growing, due to the local self-development dynamic and a sense of ownership of the results achieved to date. The project considers this growth in demand to be the result of the appropriate use and development of skills offered by a broad partnership (scientific research, technical institutes, etc.).

There are, however, on-going risks, both within the community and outside. To date, more women than men have benefited from the process of change. Yet the Islamization of Beafada society raises concerns that, in the long run, men will seek to reverse recent trends in order to recover the power they held in a non-monetary economy. In addition, the danger of overfishing by new and poor foreign fishermen (from Guinea and Sierra Leone) is rapidly increasing. How can impoverished populations be prevented from moving, in ever greater numbers, into a region where fish are still abundant? It is clear that the situation requires action at a broader level. In this regard, regional integration should and must support efforts made at the local level.

Conserving the resources of the Rio Grande de Buba requires maintaining an entire ecological system. It is important that at least as much attention be paid to conserving the forest cover as the fish stock, which means that new partners must be included and the complex processes of consultation must be extended to other levels.

Replication of the project in other regions or situations raises certain questions. Is it possible to create the same dynamic in areas where earlier projects have operated? Is a less traditional society, i.e. one that has had greater contact with urban centers and more experience with trade, likely to develop the solidarity found in the Rio Buba area? The UICN program in Guinea-Bissau has undertaken replication of the project in at least two strategic areas by the year 2000, and is counting heavily on development of the institutional capacities of the governmental and nongovernmental partners who will take over the activities.