By Tabora Bojang
The government has degazetted 2.7 hectares of the Bijilo Forest park for the establishment of a “luxury hotel”, environment minister Rohey John-Manjang told lawmakers yesterday.
She said the portion which amounts to 5 percent of the total area of the Bijilo forest reserve is transferred to the Gambia Tourism Board (GTB) for the construction of a “luxury hotel and adjoining administrative complex”.
Minister Manjang added that the area was degazetted in February 2024 following a cabinet approval and was made in line with efforts to boost The Gambia’s tourism infrastructure.
She averred that the law vested powers in her as minister of environment to propose degazetting any portion of a forest park with cabinet approval in the national interest.
Since its establishment in the 1950s, the forest, popularly known as “Monkey Park” is among the country’s bastions of biodiversity, serves as a major tourist attraction, a research centre and a sanctuary for different species of birds and monkeys.
Since 2017, environmentalists have criticised the government for damaging the park in the name of development following the construction of the OIC conference centre and attempts to allocate parts of it to the US Embassy.
Appearing before lawmakers on Tuesday, the environment minister further disclosed that portions of two other forest parks have been degazetted since 2017.
She said 19.5 hectares of the Pakala Forest Park in Chamen was also degazetted in 2022 and given to Nawec to build a solar plant. Manjang said even though Nawec could not proceed with the solar project, the land degazetted is still available to other potential investors keen to build a solar plant under a public private partnership arrangement.
She disclosed that 82.5 hectares of the Nyanibereh Forest Park in Jarra was also degazetted for the resettlement of some residents in the region.
The minister explained that the process of degazetting this park began during the former regime but before the finalisation of the administrative procedures, a change of government happened in 2017 by which time people had already started settling in the park”.
She said to restore the forest to its pre-gazetted state, families would have to be evicted which would result in huge economic losses and hardship.
“The Gambia only contributed 0.01 percent to the world’s climate crisis and therefore as much as we are committed to responding to the Paris Agreement. The government equally understands that the Paris Agreement supports development growth. So, every portion of forest parks degazetted by this government is simply in the national interest,” Manjang added.
