Overview of the project

The Gambia faces serious challenges and pressure with regard to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Deforestation is evident in coastal zones and wetlands fuelled by domestic demand on energy, commercial logging, housing and fencing needs. Forests resources provide 85% of energy needs with over 90% of the population dependent on biomas fuel. According to NFA 2010, 27% of the country’s land cover classified as forest(including mangroves) of which 87% were secondary forests, mostly fragmented and severely exploited. Only 3.5% of lands remains under primary forest cover. The Kiang West is a peninsular, and has a combination of forest land, grass land, farm lands and mangrove estuarine system situated within The Gambia, Kiang West Peninsular covers 71,000ha of surface area. The complex already accommodates the Kiang West National Park, the Bintabolong Estuary, more than five state managed forest parks and about a dozen community forests parks.
However, the resources within the complex are unprecedentedly declining due to logging, forest fires and other inappropriate land use practices. The land cover of this particular ecological zone evolves from rain-fed dense forest to shrubs vegetation in most areas. A good proportion of the forest still exists but wildlife population dominated by few people. The wildlife population remains without watering lakes and ponds, resulting to heavy lost wildlife mortality or conditional migration to South Senegal and Guinea. The population of some species such as Papio papio and Pharcocherus spp are outnumbered and becomes obstacle to food security. Kiang West National Park is 19,051ha and its buffer zone that include Dumbuto Wildlife Sanctuary, Peninsular Mouth Conservation Area and Mutaro Kunda Forest Park forms almost 40% of the peninsul.