The Integrated Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Management project (ICAM) organised recently a day’s validation workshop on Gambia’s Biodiversity Monitoring System held at the conference hall of the Department of State for Fisheries and Natural Resources in Banjul.

Speaking on the occasion, Alagie Manjang, who deputised for the Director of DPWM, said the workshop marked a turning point in the country’s conservation effort as “the status of many of the country’s biological resources is not known”.

This situation, he added, has been further complicated as the country continues to experience an increasing pressure on resources due to high population growth, poverty and unsustainable use of natural resources.

He said the ICAM project was initiated to strengthen the management of coastal and marine resources, noting that habitats for many of the country’s species “are being degraded as a result of unparalleled human activities that do not lend itself into the protection, conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.”

“Species of national, regional and international importance in the coastal and marine environment are faced with serious threats as a result of human activities,” he said.

Mr Manjang further noted the importance of biodiversity monitoring, adding: “Monitoring does not only help us to understand the pattern of distribution of a particular species, habitat and populations, but it also presents to us a unique opportunity to discover new species.”