The Gambia’s rural développement and poverty reduction strategies emphasize the need to reverse stagnate agro-sylvo-pastoral productivity while safeguarding its rich natural resource base and unique biodiversity assets. However, efforts toward these goals are being seriously hampered by the degradation of land and seascape resources, as well as a decline in the ability for land and seascapes to provide the environmental services to support productive socio-economic systems. Across many areas of The Gambia, the degradation of land and seascapes is occurring in advanced stages. The root causes of land degradation include inappropriate land use, increased competition over land, unsustainable agricultural practices, overgrazing, and deforestation. While efforts have been made at different levels to address some of these threats to the sustainable use and management of land and seasc ape resources, success remains patchy.
The Governemnt of the Gambia target to protect 15% of the total land area coverage of the Gambia . The West African Bird Study Association (WABSA) contributes to the target througth establishment of community bird sanctuaries
