Nuimi-Saloum Trans-boundary Biosphere Gambia working group on Friday 17th July 2009, held a one-day review programme on situational analysis report on environmental education and communication, hunting, fisheries and livestock.

Mr. Alpha Omar Jallow, the Director of the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management, in his opening remarks, underscored the importance of the forum, adding that the forum would provide an avenue for the sector’s representatives to critically review the report so as to make possible adjustments and harmonise things in order to produce a perfect document that can be implemented for the benefit of future projects.

According to Mr. Jallow, the success of the proposed Nuimi-Saloum Trans-boundary Biosphere Reserve Project depends on the document that would be produced at the end of the meeting. He then called on all sector participants to put their inputs together in order to produce a comprehensive document that can be implemented in due course.

For his part, Mr. Abdoulie Sawo, the Project Coordinator stated that the importance of this document cannot be over-emphasized, adding that it will serve as a guiding tool in implementing future sub-projects.

According to Mr. Sawo, Niumi-Saloum Trans-boundary Biosphere Reserve is a joint project between the Gambia and Senegal.

In the Gambia, he went on, the project covers the two Niumi’s and Jokado and a series of sensitisation programmes in all the communities in these areas.

“Each of these countries (Gambia and Senegal) has to produce a working document that would suit its operation, which would guide in the implementation and management of biosphere projects”, he stated.

Mr. Sawo noted that the Nuimi-Saloum Trans-boundary Biosphere Reserve seeks the value support of all its key actors to put in their inputs together in enriching the document and making it workable for the project. He noted that the recommendations that would emerge at the end of the meeting will be inculcated in the document.

The meeting was chaired by Alhagie Manjang, the Deputy Director of the Department of Parks and Wildfire Management.