Ba Nafaa

At this point I have not divulged any information on the environmental issues here in The Gambia, and believe me, there is a plethora.  Some of the major culprits include the non-existent waste management & disposal system, deforestation, desertification, sand mining, pollution, overfishing and unsuitable fishing methods, and poor resource management, just to name a few.  Severe environmental degradation is evident in this region, but there are many initiatives underway that are aimed to improve the current situation.

Yesterday I had the privilege to spend the day learning about Ba Nafaa, a Sustainable Fisheries Project that has recently launched as an ecosystem-based approach to protection of the biodiversity and ecological integrity of this area, while sustaining the resources that support its people.  The Ba Nafaa initiative is a partnership of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center (CRC), and the Department of Fisheries of The Gambia (DoFish).

I joined some representatives of this partnership on a tour of the Tanbi Wetland Complex, a wetland reserve just outside the capital area.  The majority of the reserve is forested with several species of mangroves and includes salt marshes, woodlands, tidal creeks, lagoons, and mudflats.  This protected area is rich in biodiversity and plays an important role in shoreline protection, provides breeding grounds for many migratory birds, and contributes many nutrients and sediments to the productivity of the marine ecosystem.  It is a designated Ramsar site and contains globally significant wetlands.  Monkeys, crocodiles, and lizards are common here, as well as some threatened and endangered species such as the West African manatee, Pel's fishing owl, African clawless otter, and the red colobus monkey.

During the dry season, the mangrove forests of Tanbi are a popular site for oyster harvesting.  The women navigate the waters in dugout canoes and pluck the oysters from the mangrove trees.  The harvesting can be destructive to the mangroves, so efforts to encourage growth on these man-made structures placed in front of the trees have been underway.  The original racks were constructed of mangrove trees, but new bamboo ones are being installed in some areas.

These women reside in fifteen different communities along the Tanbi Wetlands and have organized themselves as the Try Oyster Women Association.  Ba Nafaa is helping the women to learn improved oyster production and processing techniques, as well as marketing strategies such as packaging and labeling.  Part of the goal is to provide technical support but also to empower them through education and the promotion of sustainable development.