Environmental campaigners are calling on the authorities in The Gambia to curb logging, halt deforestation by putting an end to charcoal production, and preserve areas of untouched forest. The decline in the country's forest cover is attributed in part to these and other activities, at the same time as the country faces the threats posed by climate change and global warming.
Of the many African countries, The Gambia has the best-written forest policy document, yet putting it into practice “is like a nightmare”. Charcoal production, for instance, has been banned in the country since the 1970s, but today even such critically important stakeholders as the Alkalos (the title given to the heads or elders of village communities in The Gambia) and senior government officials strike deals with people to burn charcoal on their behalf. “This is a major reason for the problems that need to be addressed,” stressed Saikou Janko, chairman of the Kombo-Foni Forestry Association (KOMFORA).
He added: “Officials in the forestry sector are doing everything they can to protect and save the forest stands. Unfortunately, there are also people connected with the sector who make the Forestry Association's work harder, because from time to time they draw up documents authorising logging in forests where it should not be permitted. If this trend continues, in a few years we will have lost all the biggest trees in our forests.”
The KOMFORA chairman said that representatives of the association he leads had recently visited five African countries: Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso. Even so, the rate at which forest area is being destroyed in The Gambia exceeds that of any of those countries. The Gambia is losing substantial areas of forest to charcoal production, excessive logging and the clearing of forest parks.
On the International Day of Forests, marked on 21 March 2024, the KOMFORA chairman stressed that the Gambian government must give forestry officials incentives by building their capacity and providing mobility, in order to prevent corruption and unwarranted felling of forests. Demba Baldeh, a Gambian environmental protection specialist living in the United States, also commented on the significance of the International Day of Forests, noting that over the years the Gambian government has done nothing meaningful to protect the country's forests, particularly with regard to its plan to deforest part of the country's remaining forest area.
“The government should mobilise all the resources and funds intended for the fight against climate change in order to support renewable and green energy. This can be achieved by making gas cheap and accessible so that every household can use it. That would reduce the use of wood and charcoal, phasing it out over the long term,” said Demba Baldeh, outlining one of the methods he believes should be supported as a way of protecting forests. He added: “All forest reserves and parks must be kept intact, whatever happens.”
Demba Baldeh argued that the country should move away from simply planting trees and instead continue growing the forests that already exist, bearing in mind that the annual tree-planting events do not generate as much income as expected. He said that firm measures should be taken to ensure that those who plant trees with public money then tend the stands, ensure their growth and protect them from fire.
“Essentially, we should be planting trees on our farms, along roads and in residential areas, to make sure their growth is encouraged and supported. Communities must be helped to plant trees in their own surroundings and given allowances to protect them. These and many other strategies should be adopted in order to conserve and protect our forests for the sake of sustainability.”
Famara Drammeh, an environmental activist, expressed disappointment that The Gambia's Minister of Environment and Climate Change had not appeared on national television to speak about the significance of the day (the International Day of Forests): “The environment minister should have given a speech on the importance of protecting The Gambia's forest resources for our health and our agriculture, as well as for the fight against climate change.”
F. Drammeh stressed that a so-called “forest talk programme” is needed on the national radio stations to inform the public about the importance of forests in the country. He noted that The Gambia's Department of Forestry has set up media and community forestry units to engage the public and educate local communities on how to protect forest stands. That effort, however, has not been effective.
Many others who spoke to The Alkamba Times (TAT) said that a ban on charcoal production, and even on the use of chainsaws, needs to be enforced in the country in order to protect its forests for this generation and those to come.
Omar Malmo Sambou, a lecturer at the University of The Gambia, environmental activist and co-founder of the organisation “Green-Up Gambia”, expressed dissatisfaction and concern at the decision of The Gambia's Ministry of Environment to turn down their invitation to discuss substantial environmental and ecological issues with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Rohey John Manjang.
In an interview with TAT, he voiced concern about protecting forestry against the threats it faces. “This park (the Nianibereh forest and monkey park) is one of the few forest ecological areas in The Gambia's urban environment, and it is home to several wild animal species, including species listed as threatened by the IUCN. Continuous interference in the forest park will cause an irreversible loss of biodiversity.”
O.M.Sambou is a member of a group of environmental campaigners working to address urgent environmental problems in The Gambia, in particular the consequences of the decision to revoke the reserve status of the Nianibereh forest and monkey park. The initiatives of “Green-Up Gambia” have run into an obstacle, however, as the environment minister has refused to meet the group of environmental activists.
“We wrote to the President of The Gambia about pressing environmental issues after attempts to reach an understanding with the minister failed over a number of meetings,” O.M.Sambou explains. “The President referred us to the minister, but she did not meet us. We invited her to events, including the official launch of our climate project, which was funded by the US Forest Service. She has never attended any of our events.”
The environmental activist team's frustration stems from the minister's refusal and from the wider consequences of such a stance. “In my view, the minister has set out deliberately to suppress and boycott civil society, in an attempt to silence us on the environmental issues that matter most to the country,” reasons O.M.Sambou
For the group of environmental campaigners, this refusal is more than a bureaucratic obstacle: “When a minister who has no knowledge of the field she leads is unwilling to listen and has no interest in the participation of all stakeholders, it harms efforts to address The Gambia's environmental problems. She is taking no account of our country's sensitive ecology. It is a shame when the protector becomes the destroyer! The minister's conduct is not democratic, not inclusive and not grounded in environmental knowledge. It is an attempt to silence civil society.”
Despite the difficulties, the “Gren-Up Gambia” environmental advocacy team remains determined. “We will not back down from our goals or from our efforts to achieve them. The minister cannot stop us. We will go on contributing to the country's development and voicing our opinion on issues that matter to the country. We will go on working with stakeholders to bring about proper environmental governance, without fear of reprisal,” says the head of the organisation.
The stakes are high and the “Green-Up Gambia” team's resolve is unwavering as they work to ensure that The Gambia's forests and wildlife are preserved for future generations.
* The Republic of The Gambia is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country on mainland Africa. The Gambia's only land border is with Senegal. It lies on both sides of the Gambia River. Only in the west does it have access to the Atlantic Ocean. On 18 February 1965 The Gambia gained independence from the British Empire and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Its capital is Banjul and its largest city is Serekunda. The Gambia's greatest natural resources are fish and groundnuts. The country lies in the subequatorial climate zone. It is characterised by hot, rainy summers and slightly cooler, drier winters. Over the past 30 years rainfall has fallen by 30%. The rainforests are gradually turning into desert, and the country is threatened by disease.
From 1651 to 1661, the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, under the rule of Duke Jacob, governed St Andrews Island in the mouth of the Gambia River, as well as land along the river further inland. A trading post was established on St Andrews Island and a fort was built there. Trade in colonial goods brought the Duke large revenues and was a profitable market for exports of goods made in the flourishing state of Courland and Semigallia.