Marine Biodiversity Assets and Threats Assessment Photo Credit : WWF- WAMER Gambia-Senegal Sustainable Fisheries Project September 2009 A partnership of: United States Agency for International Development / West Africa Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island World Wide Fund, West Africa Regional Office Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, The Gambia + This publication is available electronically on the Coastal Resources Center’s website at http://www.crc.uri.edu. For more information contact: Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay Campus, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, USA. Tel: 401) 874-6224; Fax: 401) 789-4670; Email: [email protected] Citation: Virginia Lee, James Tobey, Kathy Castro, Brian Crawford, Mat Dia Ibrahima, Ousman Drammeh, Tanvi Vaidyanathan, 2009, Marine Biodiversity Assets and Threats Assessment, Gambia-Senegal Sustainable Fisheries Project, Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island. pp 50 Disclaimer: This report was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Cooperative agreement # 624-A-00-09-00033-00 Table of Contents BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................ 1 THE MARINE BIODIVERSITY ASSETS OF THE WAMER .................................... 3 Introduction to the West African Marine Eco Region................................................ 3 Marine Biodiversity Assets in the WAMER .............................................................. 4 Direct Threats to Marine Biodiversity Conservation in the WAMER ....................... 6 Indirect Threats to Marine Biodiversity Consrevaton in the WAMER ...................... 9 Current Prioirties & Actions for Marine Biodiversity Conservation........................ 10 Recommendations for Marine Biodiversity Conservation in the WAMER ............. 13 THE GAMBIA.............................................................................................................. 16 Introduction to Marine Biodiversity in the Gambia.................................................. 16 Marine Biodiversity Assets of the Gambia............................................................... 19 Direct Threats to Marine Biodiversity in the Gambia .............................................. 28 Indirect Threats to Marine Biodiversity in the Gambia............................................ 31 Official Priorities for Conservation of Marine Biodiversity in the Gambia ............. 33 Current Actions/ Governance/ Legislation ............................................................... 35 RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................................. 43 Foster a more sustainable marine fishery.................................................................. 43 CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................... 44 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 46 i Abbreviations and Acronyms ADB African Development Bank AFDP Artisanal Fisheries Development Project BADEA Arab Bank for Economic Development CCLME Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem CFC Community Fisheries Center CMC Central Management Committee DOF Department of Fisheries FAO United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization LME Large Marine Ecosystem NAAFO National Association of Artisanal Fisheries Operators GAMFIDA Gambia Fisheries Development Association NEA National Environment Agency DoF Department of Fisheries SUME Sahelian Upwelling Marine Ecoregion WAMER West African Marine Ecoregion WWF World Wildlife Fund ii BACKGROUND The Ba Nafaa Project is a five-year regional initiative supported by the American people though the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/West Africa Regional Mission. It is implemented through the University of Rhode Island (URI)-USAID cooperative agreement on Sustainable Coastal Communities and Ecosystems (SUCCESS). The World Wide Fund West Africa Marine EcoRegional (WAMER) Program is the regional implementing partner. Project activities are carried out in partnership with the Department of Fisheries (DoFish) and stakeholders in the fisheries sector in The Gambia and in Senegal. Most of the project activities focus on The Gambia. Senegal and The Gambia are located within one of the most diverse and economically important fishing zones in the world - the WAMER. Over 1,000 species of fish have been identified, along with several species of cetaceans including dolphins and whales, and five species of endangered marine turtles. The coastal wetlands are globally significant breeding and over-wintering grounds for numerous migratory birds. However, this extraordinary biodiversity is threatened by overfishing. In partnership with the Government of The Gambia and WWF, this Ba Nafaa project aims to formulate, adopt and implement strategies to overcome unsustainable and destructive marine resource use practices that threaten biodiversity conservation in the Ecoregion. USAID funds for this program are part of the U.S Congressional Earmark for biodiversity conservation within USAID. As such, it has certain requirements it must meet by law. The Agency's "biodiversity code" guides the Agency in determining what programs are included in the accounting toward the biodiversity earmark. Within the code are four criteria: 1. The program must have an explicit biodiversity objective, it is not enough to have biodiversity conservation result as a positive externality from another program; 2. Activities must be identified based on an analysis of threats to biodiversity; 3. The program must monitor associated indicators for biodiversity conservation; 4. Site-based programs must positively impact biologically significant areas. This Biodiversity Assets and Threats Assessment of marine fishery related resources of The Gambia and Senegal is based on a desktop review of many reports and documents and a two-week visit to The Gambia and Senegal in June 2009. The fact finding trip included expert consultations; interviews with government officials, fishermen and women, and the private sector fishing industry; a two-day stakeholder workshop, and a meeting with The Gambia National Fisheries Advisory Committee. A list of individuals consulted is included in Appendix 1 of this report. Objectives for the Ba Nafaa Project are based on this Marine Biodiversity Assets and Threats Assessment. Accordingly, key Ba Nafaa results are to: • Contribute to government objectives of sustained and increased social and economic benefits for artisanal fishing communities including food security, increased income and employment. 1 • Build institutional capacity at all levels of governance to implement a fisheries co- management approach is strengthened in order to sustain socio-economic benefits for fisher folk and other beneficiaries in the market value chain. • Reduce unsustainable and destructive marine resource use practices, including by- catch of marine turtles and juvenile fishes. • Protect key habitats and marine areas important in the life stages of commercially important fish as well as threatened and protected species of marine turtles and mammals. Within The Gambia, specific objectives are to: Project Strategies • Strengthen the capacity of community • A participatory co-management approach that engages fisherfolk in fisheries centers to manage fisheries and decision-making. engage in more effective enforcement of • An ecosystem-based approach that rules through training and learning-by- looks not only at the fish, but doing. protection of critical habitats and • Strengthen the capacity of the DoFish and reduction of fishery impacts on threatened marine species community management committees to • Mainstreaming gender dimensions conduct fisheries stock assessments and that provide opportunities for both implement community-based management men and women to benefit plans. economically and participate in • Identify and then implement opportunities decision-making. • A threats-based approach to for improvements in the value chain of the coastal and marine biodiversity key species of economic importance, conservation. including export opportunities that provide socio-economic benefits to Gambians. • Establish community-based protected areas to serve as critical habitats for marine turtles and mammals and as spawning and nursery grounds for commercially important fish. Regionally, the Ba Nafaa Project aims to: • Strengthen regional management of shared stocks by addressing licensing and registration issues for domestic and foreign fishermen. • Improve international trade competitiveness through harmonized policies. • Increase regional cooperation for conservation of marine turtles and mammals. • Promote bilateral exchanges of communities and government officials to share lessons and experience in improved management of fisheries. 2 THE MARINE BIODIVERSITY ASSETS OF THE WEST AFRICAN MARINE ECO- REGION Introduction to the West African Marine Eco Region Senegal and The Gambia are centrally located within the West African Marine Eco- region (WAMER) that spans 3,500km of the coasts of Mauritania, Senegal,