The UNESCO BIOPALT (Biosphere and Heritage of Lake Chad) project is implementing a development and management plan for the cultural landscape of Lake Chad. A formidable support for the protection of remarkable ecosystems and the definition of sustainable development models in order to reduce poverty and promote peace.

In a global context of ecological crisis, of the collapse of biodiversity and of the security crisis in the Lake Chad Basin, the cultural heritage conservation policy requires the establishment of a development and management plan for the cultural landscape in the four States bordering the Lake: Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Chad. The objective: that by 2025 the Lake Chad Basin will be a tool for regional integration for the countries sharing it, with a view to successful cultural and environmental sustainability.

This management plan aims at consolidating the achievements of an inclusive transboundary management of Lake Chad (which is full of remarkable natural and cultural potentials and provides a livelihood for about 45 million people). It will be an essential step for UNESCO to have Lake Chad, the largest freshwater lake in Africa, a source of supply for millions of people, ancient cultures and biodiversity, recognized as a World Heritage Site. This would be the third Chadian site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (after the Ounianga Lakes and the Ennedi Mountains). An important contribution to peace and lasting stability among all the peoples living around Lake Chad.