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Momodou
Denmark
11614 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Sep 2024 : 11:25:54
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Gov’t considers de-reserving parts of Abuko Nature Reserve
September 20, 2024
The Standard: By Talibeh Hydara
https://standard.gm/govt-considers-de-reserving-parts-of-abuko-nature-reserve/
The Gambia government is set to de-reserve parts of the Abuko Nature Reserve.
Currently being discussed at cabinet level, the decision to de-reserve some portions of the nature reserve came after a ministerial taskforce visited the site in July 2023 to assess the level of community encroachment.
The task force, comprising ministers, directors and village heads, also visited a disputed land in Lamin CDC.
The Standard understands that the taskforce learned from the Department of Parks and Wildlife that all four communities bordered with the nature reserve have encroached on the land with a total of nine football fields by Abuko, Kunkujang, Banjulinding, and Wellingara.
It is however not clear whether the taskforce had recommended the de-reservation but a short update from a cabinet meeting yesterday announced that Lands Minister Hamat Bah made a presentation on de-reserving parts of the nature reserve.
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It also said allocating parcels of land in Lamin for a national stadium and a sporting facility is being considered too.
In November 2023, the government was heavily criticized for de-gazetting parts of Bijilo Forest Park and Nyaniberi Forest Reserve.
Environment Minister Rohey Manjang had said those decisions were made to protect communities which have already encroached on the reserves as the alternative would have been to evict them.
In 2022, a similar request by the environment ministry regarding de-gazetting parts of the Niumi National Park failed to materialse.
Abuko Nature Reserve is the most visited tourist site in The Gambia.
Created in 1968, thousands of people visit the reserve annually to watch birds, primates and reptiles.
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11614 Posts |
Posted - 20 Sep 2024 : 19:43:24
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“Abuko Nature Reserve, protected since 1916, must remain an urban zoo and a conservation edcuation center for basic schoolers.“
Dr. Malanding Jaiteh |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11614 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2024 : 23:47:09
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The Government Should Not Lie to Citizens.
By Madi Jobarteh
Two days ago, this is what State House announced on its Facebook page about a Cabinet meeting,
“The Cabinet is also set to discuss another presentation by the Honourable Minister for Lands, Regional Governments and Religious Affairs Hamat NK Bah, on the De-Reserving of Parts of Abuko Nature Reserve and Allocation of Parcels of Land in Lamin for a National Stadium and to Lamin VDC for a sporting facility.”
Today, this is what the Ministry of Information posted on their Facebook page about the same issue,
“Cabinet approved a second proposal which involves the allocation of land in Lamin, along with a portion of land from NARI, for the development of sports and recreational facilities, including a National Football Stadium. These facilities will cater to a variety of sporting activities, benefiting the youth of Lamin and surrounding areas.”
While the State House mentioned the de-reserving of the Abuko Nature Reserve, the Ministry of Information did not even mention anything about de-reserving anything much more mention the name ‘Abuko’.
So, who is telling the truth and who is lying to citizens?
As we figure out where the truth and falsehood lie, let us also recall that in June 2023 there was news that the Government had allocated a huge piece of land in Lamin to a prominent NPP stalwart Suku Singhateh. Immediately, the Lamin VDC got up to go to the place where they held a press conference to condemn the decision issued in a press statement.
The interesting point in their press statement was that they already had intentions to build a mini stadium on that same piece of land, which will also cater for other facilities for the youths of Lamin. This is what they said,
“Yusupha Sanyang, head of competition at the Lamin Sports Development Association, said that the association plans to build a mini stadium on the land for the youths of Lamin Village.
“We got this land, it is very big. We have begun developing a 200×200-meter area that will eventually become a mini stadium for the town. The stadium will include a volleyball court, a basketball court, a sports center, and a creation center for kids and youths. This will help to divert them away from drug use and into sports. We are committed to this project and will not take it lightly. We want to make sure that we have a space that the youth will enjoy.”
(https://www.kerrfatou.com/lamin-vdc-calls-on-govt-to-intervene-in-their-land-dispute-with-suku-singhateh/)
The question now is, what stadium is the State House and the Ministry of Information exactly talking about for the youth of Lamin when the VDC of Lamin is already talking about a stadium for their community? In other words, is it really true that indeed the State House and Hamat Bah are interested in a stadium for Lamin youths or are they hiding behind Lamin youths just to invade Abuko Nature Reserve for some business and selfish interests? This is what must concern Gambians.
Thanks to the conflicting press releases of the State House and Ministry of Information, their true intentions have been exposed. That is, the interest of the youth of Lamin is not their interest at all otherwise the Government would have gone to Lamin VDC to support their agenda for the youth of Lamin. It is obvious that the Government is now exploiting the plight of the youth for some other selfish interests even if that means destroying the nation’s most precious nature reserve.
The Government has a legal and moral obligation to be truthful, honest and open with citizens because they are mere servants of the people. Servants do not mislead and lie to their masters. That tantamount to immediate dismissal with severe consequences.
Therefore, I put it to President Adama Barrow that his Government and its officials are misleading Gambians with false information and dishonesty. It is pertinent that he addresses the nation to tell the truth to citizens about this matter. For that matter, he must hold his officials accountable – the Chief of Staff Mod Ceesay, the Minister of Lands Hamat Bah and the Minister of Information Ismaila Ceesay for releasing false and conflicting information to citizens.
I call on all citizens and indeed CSOs and political parties to stand firm to hold the Government accountable to its functions and duties as per the law. We must not let any public institution or official to disrespect Gambians, to plunder our resources and to destroy our environment for selfish interests. Let us use all the available accountability mechanisms to ensure that abuse of office and corruption are tackled, and perpetrators are brought to justice.
For the Gambia Our Homeland |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11614 Posts |
Posted - 23 Sep 2024 : 12:47:03
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Gov’t clarifies decision on Abuko Nature Reserve
The Standard: September 23, 2024
https://standard.gm/govt-clarifies-decision-on-abuko-nature-reserve/
Press release
The Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs wishes to clarify recent misconceptions surrounding the Cabinet’s discussions on Thursday, 19th September 2024, regarding the Abuko Nature Reserve and land allocation in Lamin.
Sometime ago, a cabinet subcommittee was set up to address concerns raised by youth living near the Abuko Nature Reserve and its surroundings. The subcommittee explored several options to meet the needs of the youth in the community for having recreational spaces.
As a result, the Hon. Minister of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs, Hon. Hamat N.K Bah presented the findings and proposals from the subcommittee to Cabinet.
The first proposal presented involves the option of de-reserving a portion of the Abuko Nature Reserve to create a football field for the community. However, Cabinet firmly rejected this proposal. The decision was clear—not a single meter of land will be de-reserved from the Abuko Nature Reserve. It is important to note that not all proposals presented to the Cabinet gets approved by the Cabinet.
Cabinet approved a second proposal which involves the allocation of land in Lamin, along with a portion of land from NARI, for the development of sports and recreational facilities, including a National Football Stadium. These facilities will cater to a variety of sporting activities, benefiting the youth of Lamin and surrounding areas.
The Ministry wishes to reassure the public that while we prioritize youth development and recreational needs, environmental preservation remains paramount.
The government remains resolute in its commitment to protecting the integrity and conservation of the reserve. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11614 Posts |
Posted - 23 Sep 2024 : 19:15:22
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De-Reserving Abuko Nature Reserve. Understanding The Context
By Madi Jobarteh
To put it bluntly and simply, the Gambian environment is being ravaged thanks to both negligence and corruption by the Government. Since 2017, the destruction of the land, sea, beaches, forests, wetlands, streams and waterways, and mangroves through pollution, encroachments, dumping, bush fires, and de-gazetting continue unabated and without protection by the Government. The Gambia has all the necessary laws, policies and institutions to protect and preserve the environment. But this is not happening simply because the Gambia Government is neither willing nor pressured to do its work as it should.
Instead, this Government has encouraged the destruction of the environment from Banjul to Basse thereby putting the country under severe climate change conditions while undermining lives and livelihoods. The increasing floods Gambians face and the depletion of our fishes, reduction of forest covers, and blockage of water ways are all apparent to see.
The Gambia Government itself is all too aware of the dire conditions facing the country’s environment. Evidence of this can be found in the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources’, policy document entitled the ‘Long-Term Climate-Neutral Development Strategy 2050’. On greenhouse gas emissions, the Strategy noted that, “more than 60% of the emission in this sub-sector comes from firewood, which puts an intense pressure on the forest thus aggravating deforestation.”
Both the Government and independent environmental experts and institutions have noted that the Gambia’s forest cover is fast reducing. Yet no effective action is being taken to address this menace when the Government has all the necessary laws to enforce. These include the Forestry Act 2018, the Wildlife Life Conservation Act 1977, the National Environmental Management Act 1994, Biodiversity Act 2003 and their various regulations and policies. Therefore, the question is, why is the Government not only failing to enforce these laws, but also it goes ahead to take decisions that endanger the environment such as de-reserving or de-gazetting forest parks?
For example, in 2023 the Government de-gazetted portions of the Nyanaberi and Bijilo forest parks. Earlier in 2019, the Government attempted to de-gazette part of Salaji Forest which was met with huge outcry. In fact, a group comprising former ministers, directors and senior officials in the forestry and environment sectors had to write an open letter to President Barrow to appeal to him to stop such an attempt. What is even more scandalous is the fact that the Government was going to de-gazette a national forest to give it to foreign businesses! Today one could see various structures built in that forest, not knowing if the de-gazetting took place or not. So Abuko is not the first!
Meanwhile, the Government has allowed businesses to invade and construct warehouses in the Tanbi wetland area, and a petrol station on the beach in Banjul. Further, they have allowed massive sand mining to take place around the Denton Bridge area affecting thousands of mangroves and coconut trees. Reserved lands and protected sanctuaries and wetlands along the Bertil Harding Highway to Kotu as well as in Kamalo have been handed over to businesses in total disregard of the country’s domestic and international obligations in environmental protection.
These are not allegations but the Government itself has noticed the seriousness of the matter that in October 2023, it suspended all developments in the Bertil Harding Highway and Kotu Institutional Layout as announced by the Government Spokesman Ebrima Sankareh. In July 2024, the Minister of Lands Hamat Bah inaugurated two task forces to investigate illegal encroachments within the Tanbi Wetlands in Jeshwang and Cape Point, and encroachments within the government designated layouts or reserved lands. We have yet to see their reports. Why should these encroachments happen in the first place? Who made these allocations other than the Government itself?
Drive along the Salaji, Kabafita, Nyambai and Furuya forests to see the indiscriminate dumping and cutting down of trees in total contravention of Anti-Littering Regulation 2007. Above all, one can notice how portions of these forests are cut out for the construction of various kinds of structures by public institutions and private businesses. One example is a truck weigh station in Furuya Forest in Kembujeh. This is the same scenario in Monkey Park where a huge portion was cut out to build the Kairaba conference centre. By this trend, it is obvious that it is just a matter of time when all these forest parks will be consumed by public institutions and private businesses.
Meantime, apart from the pollution being caused by fish meal factories to sea, land and mangroves in the Kombo coastal towns and villages, these companies are equally depleting the Gambia’s fish stock in full glare of the Government. There has been ample evidence of this destruction by assessments by both NEA and other independent bodies which are being ignored. Rather these foreign companies are encouraged and protected.
The mismanagement of reserved and state lands in this country should concern citizens. For example, we have seen the former and current ministers of lands Musa Drammeh and Hamat Bah respectively distribute state lands illegally to state and non-state officials from 2017 to date. Furthermore, reserved lands have been indiscriminately distributed to individuals and business such that the same Minister Hamat Bah announced in June 2024 that he has revoked 68 allocations, comprising 40 plots in Kamalo proper, and 28 plots in the Kamalo Extension. But until today, Hamat Bah has not released the full report of the taskforce. Why?
It is in this context that the so-called proposal by Minister Hamat Bah to de-reserve parts of Abuko Nature Reserve must be received with deep concern. Such a proposal is nothing new and indeed this Government has acted before to de-reserve forest parks already. Citizens must not be satisfied by the information that the proposal was rejected. Rather the question citizens must ask is why in the first place would Hamat Bah initiate such an idea? Is he not aware of the Gambia’s domestic and international obligations to protect and preserve the environment. More seriously, is Hamat Bah not aware of the importance and status of Abuko Nature Reserve within the overall ecosystem and biodiversity of the Gambia such that he could not think of anything other than cutting a portion of it for a stadium?
The Gambia’s environment is already under severe threat thanks to the Government. A responsible government would have been seen seriously busy in taking all necessary steps to enforce laws to protect the environment in fulfilment of its domestic, regional and international obligations. Instead since 2017, this Government has been rather taking deliberate decisions and actions to damage the environment. I call on all citizens to stand up to defend our environment from being exploited for selfish interests against the interests of present and future generations of Gambians.
On my part, I will be submitting a request under the Access to Information Act 2021 to the Ministry of Lands to inquire about the details and reasons for Hamat Bah’s original proposal to de-reserve parts of Abuko Nature Reserve for public information. Citizens need to know which parts of the nature reserve are targeted, and for what purpose. Furthermore, I will also request for the release of the full report of the multi-sectoral task force which was formed by the Ministry of Lands in 2023 to review the allocation of demarcated plots of land at the Kamalo industry layout. Citizens have a right to know the findings and recommendations of the taskforce and the status of implementation by the Ministry of Lands.
For The Gambia Our Homeland |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Gov’t considers de-reserving parts of Abuko Nature
