Forestry Department of The Gambia
Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa
Background
Prior to the 1930s, the British Colonial Office in Bathurst (Banjul) was not concerned about forestry and forest management in the Protectorate of The Gambia.
It was until 1938 that the first serious steps in forestry were taken through the appointment of a Forest Committee. No action was taken on forestry matters until 1948 due to the Second World War. In 1948, the first forestry advisor to the protectorate administration was appointed.
The policy direction during the 1950s with regard to forestry was stressed on small forest reserves. Due to lack of people of sufficient educational standard for training, the colonial administration decided to suspend forestry activities until a qualified officer was present to oversee the implementation of the policy provisions. Consequently in 1950, the administration received its first forestry officer who was deployed to head the first forestry division created within the Department of Development and Agriculture. By the end of 1954, 66 forest reserves, located mainly on poor sites, had been demarcated.
Even in 1950, the administration recognized fires and clearing as the main enemies of forest. However, the colonial administration also recognized that a complete fire protection for the parks was not practical.
In 1959, the forestry service started to convert natural forest into Gmelina arborea plantations within forest parks with the primary objective to meet the Gambian future wood demands.
After independence in 1965, the public sector intensified its involvement in forestry in 1976. The forestry was reorganized and upgraded to become one of eight departments within the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In 1981, the FD was transferred to the Ministry of Water Resources, Fisheries and Forestry, which was later renamed into Ministry of Natural Resources.
The creation of an independent Department of Forestry in 1976 paved the way for the expansion of forestry activities in the country. The FD initially concentrated its efforts on the continued establishment and management of plantations.
The newly department benefited from a few externally funded projects (e.g. USAID, FAO/BADEA, EEC) that resulted in the expansion of forest activities in the country and the training of forestry staff. In 1979 the Federal Republic of Germany initiated the Gambian - German Forestry Project (GGFP) which still provides technical assistance to the FD. This project introduced natural forest management in forest parks and started with Community Forestry in the two divisions of Western Division and Lower River Division. In 1996 a second German funded project was initiated, the Central River Division Forestry Project (CRDFP), which implements participatory forest management in the Central River Division. Between 1997 and 2001, the EC funded Upper River Division Forestry Project (URDFP) implemented participatory forest management in the Upper River Division.
Forest Management References
In the late 80s, when more knowledge and experience was made in natural forest management, it became clear that the government would not be in the position to protect and manage the country's forest resources without the assistance and support of forest adjacent communities. This was the time when a community forestry pilot scheme was launched.
Based on the experiences gained in the testing of state and community forest management models, the GFMC was developed, a national forestry action plan was drafted, forestry policy and legislation were reviewed, and the organisational set-up of the FD was restructured.Forest Act and Forest Regulations
The Department of Forestry's operational mandate is embodied in the Forest Regulation, which was enacted in 1978.
The current Forest Act (1998) and Regulations involve the communities in forest management and protection by legally requiring them to participate in fire prevention and participative forest management activities.
Gambian Forest Management Concept (GFMC)
The GFMC is an approach to conserve and improve the forest resources of The Gambia in order to supply as much as possible of the country's demand for forest products through the sustainable management of its forest resources.
The GFMC has been developed by the Gambian -German Forest Project in joint cooperation with the Forestry Department since 1980.
National Action Plan to Combat Desertification
The Government of The Gambia (GOTG) signed the international Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) of the United Nations in October 1994. The CCD mandates its signatories to:
- analyse and report the current status, extent and manifestations of desertification in the country
- develop a national action programme or action plan (NAD), which specifies activities to be undertaken
- establish an institutional framework for the participatory involvement of all concerned levels of society
- seek national, regional and international organisations, collaborators and donors to assist in the implementation of the identified activities
- develop a system of indicators facilitating impact monitoring and evaluation
National Forestry Action Plan 2001 - 2010
The NFAP has been designed in a realistic way, in accordance with the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification. It also advocates a profound change in the role of the Forestry Department, which is mandated by the Government as the lead institution.
The NFAP consists of an executive summary and a main volume, which addresses the policy issues, an action programme, forestry planning and project profiles.
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Contact us:
Forestry Department
5C, Marina Parade
Banjul
The Gambia
Tel: 22 73 07
Fax: 22 47 65
Email: forestry.dept@gamtel.gm
The Forestry Department, Banjul, The Gambia
