| The Gambia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Western Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National websites | Official Gambia Site, CIA Site, Gambia Page | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | 1155 15th Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington DC 20005 Telephone: (202) 785-1399 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | Action Aid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | The Gambia has very little natural resources to speak of. The Gambia supports itself with agriculture and raising livestock. Unfortunately, the livestock has other negative effects on natural resources of The Gambia that are not nearly as plentiful, most notably the water supply. The Gambia makes a small amount of revenue from lumber, but its disturbing trend of rapid deforestation must stop relatively soon, for only about 20% of the land area is forest, and the number used to be much greater. The only other relevant natural resource of The Gambia is it fisheries. The fisheries are not completely depleted yet, but are getting there. Things look bleak for The Gambia in the natural resources department. Natives must be careful to use their natural resources sparingly or they will be left with none of their already minuscule amount of natural resources left. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | The Gambia is in a tough spot because they have very few natural resources. A main reason that they have so few natural resources is that their land is useless in some areas. Desertification is a major problem in The Gambia. The land that is turned into deserts ends up being of little use to the natives. As a result, The Gambia's economy suffers. What little forest The Gambia possesses is being torn down rapidly in order to help the economy and clear room for agriculture. Much of The Gambia's food comes from their 200 km area of exclusive fishery rights. Unfortunately, The Gambia has been overfishing for white some time now. They will not be able to live off of this non-renewable supply of fish forever. Lastly, what little water The Gambia possesses is not very clean. Natives have polluted the water sources thanks to deforestation and livestock bathing in the water. Water-borne diseases are very prevalent in The Gambia's water, and the native suffer because of this. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 10,000 sq. km | CIA Site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 2,800 sq km | CIA Site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 1,300 sq. km | CIA Site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,291,858 | CIA Site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Population Density | 10.78 people per sq. km | CIA Site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels | 23,000 ha |
World Resource 96-97 |
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| Fraction of land area protected (%) | 2% | World Resource 96-97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas |
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WCMC Database (Must search) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix I | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix II | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | Banjul Declaration, Gambia Environmental Action Plan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | Banjul Declaration, National Environmental Management Act, Gambia Environmental Action Plan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | 11/24/27 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | 1/16/97 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | 6/12/92 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | List of Treaties | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | 22,300 metric tons a year | World Resource 96-97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | 948 cubic meters a year | World Resource 96-97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | Exact numbers concerning revenue gained from ecotourism is unknown, but The Gambia does attract a large amount of people relative to its size. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | Exact numbers are unknown, but there is much trade in illegal wildlife proucts (Elephant tusks, Rhino horns and testicles, skins of rare animals) on the black market. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | Fish is the main type of animal hunted in The Gambia. They catch 22,300 metric tons a year. | World Resource 96-97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | The Earth is The Gambia's main natural resource, over 30% of their wealth is from agriculture. Lumber and fish are their other two main natural resources. | Gambia Page | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | Poor waste management techniques and heavy development have lead to poor air quality in The Gambia. The Gambia also has to deal with poor air quality indoors due to the use of indoor stoves. | Gambia Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | The water supply of The Gambia is very dirty due to poor waste management. This has led to an increase in disease and overexposure to rodents and insects. | Gambia Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | Land degradation in The Gambia has resulted from several different activities. The Gambia has cleared much of its bushes and forest in an attempt to promote agriculture and grazing. There are only seven countries in Africa with significant deforestation rates, and The Gambia is one of them. The Gambia is overusing certain chemicals in order to order to make their agriculture more efficient. This has hurt the quality of the soil even more. The Gambia is also having problems with rapid population growth which in turn effects the amount of housing needed. This increase in the amount of housing needed has lead to more deforestation, pollution, and land degradation. | Gambia Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | Gambia Environmental Actional Plan | GEAP Site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | Gambia Environmental Action Plan, Member of Convention for Biological Diversity, PGC | GEAP Site. PGC Site | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Dennis Dierck as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA