Development of an Administrative Manual and Re-structuring of the DPWM The Gambia’s Protected Areas System Part I: Physical Description Introduction The Department of wildlife conservation was first established in 1968 on the request of a British national Eddy Brower, to ensure rationale protection and conservation of the remaining fauna and flora. Ten years later, The Banjul declaration signed by the then president D K Jawara and the wildlife act of 1977 followed as a clear benchmark of the involvement of the Gambian Authorities into the safeguarding and promotion of the importance of the wild fauna and flora upon which many communities derive their livelihoods. The efforts that followed this important engagement resulted in 1997 in the preparation of the National Strategy and Action plan, thanks to a country wide biodiversity study which was coordinated by the department of parks and wildlife and that involved all the relevant institutions. Such an endeavour came as a timely undertaking where all stakeholders could find themselves for a harmonious and sustainable use of the country‟s biodiversity wealth. From then till now, the country‟s biodiversity is given due consideration and many settings such as National Parks, Nature reserves and others have been put in place with the development of management plan documents and their improvement to nurture conservation and proliferation of the remaining biodiversity. The present work attempts to review the current biodiversity conservation with a focus on the management strengths, gaps, weaknesses and shortcomings; and it emphasizes the need for improvement of the existing data collection systems, the data base management strategies and recommends development of sound biodiversity management plans to uphold and galvanize the already invested efforts. Gambia Wildlife Ecosystem As signatory of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),The Gambia is fully impregnated with the guiding principles for rational conservation of its biological diversity despite the immeasurable drivers both natural and anthropogenic that tend to accelerate rate of biodiversity loss and deprivation. The reasons for such a commitment are justified by the potential benefits that may be associated with a properly managed biodiversity. Presently, the country has identified and created one Ramsar site, a number of protected areas, some national parks and game reserves let alone the forest parks which promote in-situ conservation. The number of ex-situ arena such as Abuko Nature Reserve are limited but there are several coastal and marine habitats of high ecological importance whose recognition and management have helped the upgrading of the country‟s wildlife asset nationally and internationally. Among these, the Toll point to cape creek (Camaloo comer), the Oyster creek mangrove swamp, the Tanji Bird Reserve, the Tujereng Lagoons, River Kakima Delta-kachuma forest, Dau Dula to Kartong coastal forest and the Kartong point at the Allahein river mouth are all important wildlife coastal and marine habitats. For the management of these important ecosystems, a good number of them have already a management plan document currently reviewed in order to adjust to the imperatives of the contemporary and future challenges. In terms of species, the list can‟t be exhaustive but globally, The Gambia is one of those West African countries with very diverse fauna and flora content. In fact, the available data shows that there are 117 species of mammals (Murphy, 1997), about 525 species of birds representing 75families, 47 species of reptiles and 30 species of amphibians (Barnett,2000). The fish species are very diverse and occupy different biotopes as can attest the case of Niumi National Park (NNP) as an example among many others (see table below). Families of Fish Occurring at Niumi National Park Families Mangrove Lagoons Seasonally Flooded Areas Coastal Strip Cichlidae X X X Clupeidae X X X Carangidae X X Drepanidae X X Elopidae X X X Gerreidae X X X X Lutjanidae X X Mugilidae X X X X Polynemidae X X Pomadasyidae X X X Sciaenidae X X Sparidae X X Tetraodontidae X X NB: Sciaenidae is the only family not found in the coastal strip For the invertebrates, there is no reliable data on the status and distribution of most, including: insects, Crustaceans, Molluscs, Platyhelminthes, Nemathelminthes, Annelids, and Arachnids. The same situation stands for the microorganisms that include; Viruses, Bacteria, and the Protozoa, or even the Fungi, Lichens and the Algae. These global data, although they are exact, should not hide the particularities hidden in the different natural ecosystems taken individually. Indeed if some species are common to all or many protected areas and or national parks, there are still species that are “endemic” or limited to specific habitats. The case of the manatee in the Tanbi Wetland or the Niumi National Park is a patent example of endemism which, in addition to other particular habitats or proper conditions in place in the ecosystem, necessitates an individual review of the concerned PA and/or NPs. Besides, the still pending management plan document for some NP or PA is a peculiarity that prevents generalization of the data. Yet, there is need to highlight the recent use of new tracking tools that have helped immensely improve management strategies in some PA. - Niumi National Park Niumi National Park occupies the coastal strip of the north bank of the River Gambia and covers approximately 7758 ha of which 4940 ha are terrestrial and 2818 ha marine waters. The park extends northwards to the Senegalese border where it joins the Delta du Saloum National Park. Essentially Niumi National Park forms the southern limit of the vast Delta Complex, which is centered on the seasonal Sine and Saloum Rivers. Its coordinates on the global scale are 160 41‟ North and 130 31 West (see map). Ecology of the Niumi National Park In terms of animal life, the greatest variation in biodiversity of the park is found within the invertebrate fauna and the avifauna, the later composed of resident and both inter-African and Palearctic migratory species. The West African Manatee (Tricheus senegalensis), the Atlantic Hump-backed Dolphin (Sousa teuzil) and the clawless otter Aonyx capensis are among the rarities of the area which adds to the faunal diversity. Niumi National park is also home to reptiles and turtles. The Nile Crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus, with low country-wide population, is known in Niji Bolon (Ramsar Wetland Study The Gambia, 1997). Thanks to the offshore sea-grass beds on the marine side of the park, NNP is a hub to a number marine turtle species such as the green turtles Chelonia mydas, Olive Ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea and loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta that occur on the coastline of Jinack Island, where they feed or eventually nest. For the icthyologique component earlier mentioned above (tab. 1), it suffices to underline the importance of the waters of Niumi as a vital nursery area for pelagic and demersal fish (Ramsar Wetland Study The Gambia, 1997). The variety of the animal component in NNP is commensurable to that of the floral component which is characterized by different types of vegetation and habitats. From the permanent marine water shoreline where eel grasses form the dominant vegetation between Bara and Buniada point, NNP contains vegetation types and variety of landscapes ranging from: - Sand shores that form into zoned dune system covered by the beach morning glory with an evergreen shrub zone and taller trees. - An estuarine zone at the northern tip of the Jinack Island where the estuarine waters receive the out flow of the Masarinko bolong. The vegetation all over the estuary and along the bolong is a mangrove forest with intertidal mudflats and salt marshes as landscape. Halophytic species grow on the salt pans - Inter tidal marshes where grows a complex vegetation composed of Tamarix senegalensis, Avicennia african and Adansonia digitata. This inter tidal marshes are bordered by an inter tidal forest where the six mangrove species, Rhizophora harissoni, R. racemosa, Laguncularia racemosa, Avicennia nitida, Conocarpus erectus and R. mangle are found. - There are also coastal lagoons where Ipomea pes caprea and Cenchrus bifloris grow. The Ramsar study (1997) has also highlighted the presence of inland wetlands which can be noted as: permanent creeks bordered by mangrove plants, seasonal creeks with relic gallery forest, seasonal saline flats with halophytic vegetation, and seasonal saline marshes with halophytic and Cyperacea. Besides these vegetation types, there are seasonal freshwater marshes where rice cultivation takes place. Gallery forest, dry woodland and wooded grasslands are also in the NNP ecosystems configuration. An overview of the socio-economic importance of the NNP shows that the park supports many communities for both subsistence and income generation. Tanbi National Park Like the NNP, Tanbi wetland complex is designated Ramsar site (2007) and filed as national park (2007) due to its richness in biodiversity and uniqueness for its geographical position in the periphery of the capital Banjul. It covers an area of 6,304 ha on the southern portion of the estuary where depositions of marine and fluvial sediments form the essence of the soils. The intertidal water regimes and the soils conditions have given rise to a primarily low mangrove forest with a complex of vegetation types on the northern boundary and along the mangrove fringing the mainland. Tanbi NP located at 13026‟ North and 16038‟ West. It is a low land with a mean altitude of 1m and a maximum of roughly 16m (See map). Habitat Type-Wetlands Different types of habitats are found in the Tanbi complex: from the coastal lagoons habitat to the seasonal creeks, the intertidal and gallery forests. The shrubby vegetation in the sandy zones of the complex contrast with the mangrove plants that spread from Banjul to Mandinary. The coastal strip is a diverse mosaic of dune vegetation with interspersed lagoons, patches of dune woodland, salt and freshwater marsh.