Nna Saama Mankolou
This project aims to preserve and restore a precious ecosystem and its biodiversity, in the unique setting of the Lower River Region of The Gambia.
A bright beginning
Nna Saama Mankolou, Mangroves for Our Future aims to protect and eventually restore a stretch of degraded mangrove forest along the Bintang Bolong in The Gambia.
The Nna Saama Mankolou project aims to formalise the protection of the already planted and established mangroves and enable further restoration activities in Sankandi community-owned land. The community of Sankandi are aware of the negative impacts from the degraded mangrove ecosystem. Successful planting efforts from community volunteers, led by Sankandi Youth Development Association, have demonstrated their motivation.
Learn more about this project
This project is at the start of its development to become a Plan Vivo accredited carbon project; a community meeting was held in January 2024 to officially begin project development. This included the official partnership between ACES and in-country community-based organisation Sankandi Youth Development Association (SYDA).
SYDA focuses on the empowerment of women and youth. The local community has noticed that many young people are moving away from the village to seek employment. Women often support themselves or their households through rice cultivation which has become difficult in increasingly saline soil. This project, therefore, would support the women and youth in the local community.
This project is being coordinated in partnership with our in-country partner Sankandi Youth Development Association and ACES. This project is a collaboration between SYDA, ACES, Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and The University of The Gambia thanks to project development funding from Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy.
The loss of mangroves and sea level rise has impacted agriculture and horticulture activities. The restoration of the mangrove forest will help slow the saline intrusion and support the return of biodiversity. As the soil becomes more saline, so does the freshwater. Demand for freshwater for the community and their agricultural activities is growing. Some people have had to abandon their rice fields and horticultural gardens due to the saline soil and lack of freshwater.
Mangroves, similar to terrestrial forests, were cut for timber and firewood; this was one of the main drivers of the rapid mangrove decline (since 1980). Formal protection of the area is needed. Mangroves are legally protected under The Gambian Forest Act 2018 but cutting is widespread and enforcement is difficult.
Without new sources of income, and or new approaches to cooking, the pressure on the natural resources – notably the terrestrial and mangrove forest for the sale of wood, coal and charcoal – will continue to increase.
This project, upon successful accreditation as a Plan Vivo carbon project will be able to sell carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market. From these sales of carbon credits, the local community involved in this project, Sankandi, will benefit from secure and sustainable funding for community development projects as well as the natural benefits mangroves provide.
We are grateful to our funders and partners for their support in the development of this project
“I’m delighted to support this community-led conservation project in Gambia with Edinburgh Napier University, the Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services and Sankandi Youth Development Association.
“Our shared hope is that restoring these mangroves will support more biodiversity, sustainable livelihoods as well as other benefits, and in turn support the local communities which rely on a healthy environment.”
Dona Bertarelli, founder, and executive chair of Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy foundation Manager
“As we embark on this exciting new phase of our mangrove restoration and conservation efforts, we are immensely grateful for the steadfast partnership we’ve enjoyed with the Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services.
“Our collective commitment to the protection of mangroves stands as a beacon of hope for a greener, healthier planet – making a difference, one mangrove at a time.”
Ansumana Darboe, SYDA Core Founder & Project Manager
