By Hatab Nyang
Seven communities in Upper Baddibou have on Saturday, September 14th 2019, planted more than 10,000 trees ].
The exercise which was organised by the Mama Tamba Youth Empowerment organization (MTYE) was sponsored by the UNDP through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and their small grants program. The main reason of the tree planting exercise was to fight back the salt intrusion of their lagoon called Baobolong. They named two bamboo plants after the late president of the Republic of The Gambia Sir Dawda Jawara and the late Chief of Upper Baddibou Mama Tamba Jammeh. These were planted along the Baobolong.
Tamba Jammeh Junior, the CEO of MTYE told journalist that the tree planting exercise was a project sponsored by the UNDP’s GEF program; that this is a one-year program on environmental Management for the Baobolong Wetland Reserve (BWR). The project, he said, has already trained hundred farmers and fifty youth on agro farming, soil management, bee keeping, processing, poultry farming and entrepreneurship. Jammeh said the trees would fight back the salt intrusion within the wetland which was a rice growing area for villagers; that before the salt intrusion the Baobolong wetland was a breeding area for fish.
‘We planted the most tolerant trees along the Baobolong wetland such as eucalyptus and baobab, to stop the salt water intrusion. Due to climate change and the low rainfall, we believe this tree planting exercise will address this issue,’’ he said.
The Imam of Illiassa Alhagie Abdou Jammeh, gave a brief history of the Baobolong wetland and its importance to the surrounding communities; that both Gambia and Senegal shared this Baobolong wetland. Imam Jammeh said the Baobolong wetland had lots of trees but many of these have disappeared because of salt water intrusion. He said the tree planting exercise was a good initiative in fighting back the salt water intrusion.
The trees planted during the exercise were baobab, bamboo, Mahogany, Moringa, Silk Cotton and other species.
