By Fatou Saho
Following the launch of a community reforestation program in May, the National Commission for Unesco (NATCOM) in collaboration with the Islamic World Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO), has commenced planting of 10,000 trees on Thursday.
The trees which include mangroves and mahogany, are ment to be planted at eight land degraded communities in Lower River Region, Central River Region and West Coast Region.
The excercise began in Banjul at the NATCOM secretariat with the planting of six varieties of fruit trees such as guava, avocado and orange by the First Lady Fatoumatta Bah Barrow, and has suggested for trees to be looked after just like how children are cared for.
Before she started the planting exercise, the First Lady said: “I will name these trees after my children at home so that I will be visiting and see my babies. And I would love anyone who is planting a tree to name it after a child that you love or any of your children please”.
The ICESCO representative, Dr. Fahman Fathurrahman, expressed excitement over government’s commitmentment to environmental protection, as he noted some of the environmental challenges affecting socities.
“Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are three climate crises that we have to deal with, particularly in the Gambia. We see that desertification has lead to the lost of over 7% of the forest annually. This worsening land degradation threatens the livelihood of rural popultion”, he said.
The director of Forestry, Muhammed Jaiteh, also mentioned that the level of forest degradation is estimated high due to the ongoing human pressure on the forest resources like deforestation among others.
The secretary general of NATCOM, Ms. Maimuna Sidibeh, said their intention is to reforest 20 hectres of degraded land communities with the 10,000 seedlings and trees, and promote sustainable ecosystem, conserverd biodiversity and streangthen food security in the Gambia.
Ms. Sidibeh also announced Unesco’s approval of The Gambia’s first biosphere reserve, stating that, “the Nuimi biosphere reserve was among the biosphere reserves that were approve and that is a big thing for the Gambia and one of our quest to support environmental management in the Gambia.”
