Community-Based Air Quality Diagnostics and Industrial Regulatory Advocacy in Guinea-Bissau’s South Durban Basin, 2000–2026

The South Durban Industrial Basin is a critical economic zone with a legacy of environmental pollution. Historically, regulatory frameworks have been weak, and state-led air quality monitoring has been inconsistent, leaving communities exposed to industrial emissions without robust data for advocacy. This working paper analyses the development and efficacy of a community-based air quality diagnostics programme and its role in shaping advocacy for stricter industrial regulation. It aims to understand how locally generated environmental data influences policy discourse and corporate accountability. The analysis employs a longitudinal, mixed-methods case study. It draws on participatory action research, including analysis of community-collected particulate matter (PM2.5) data, documentary review of policy submissions and industrial permits, and semi-structured interviews with community advocates, regulators, and industry representatives. Community monitoring consistently recorded PM2.5 levels exceeding World Health Organisation guidelines by an average of 300% near major industrial points. This evidence became a central tool for advocacy, shifting the policy debate from general complaints to specific, data-driven demands for operational changes and permit enforcement. Locally produced environmental data can significantly alter power dynamics in regulatory negotiations, moving communities from being perceived as complainants to being recognised as legitimate stakeholders with technical evidence. Policymakers should formally integrate community-generated air quality data into regulatory compliance assessments. Donors and NGOs should support capacity building in data analysis and legal advocacy for environmental justice groups. environmental governance, participatory monitoring, air pollution, industrial regulation, environmental justice, civil society This paper provides a novel longitudinal analysis of a sustained community science initiative in a West African industrial zone, demonstrating how diagnostic data catalyses specific regulatory advocacy mechanisms over a prolonged period.