The present nature vegetation is characterised by a secondary woodland to more tree and shrub savanna. The following plant associations can be found in the country (Kasper, 1993):
~beach sands and coastal scrub,
~coastal woodland,
~mangroves,
~variously brackish and freshwater swamps.
~salty mud flats and salt pans.
~reverie (gallery) forests and forest on river islands, and
~savanna woodland, parklands, and bush fallow.
The above classification was used for the purpose of tree species identification only.
The 1983 national forestry inventory and land-use mapping classified the Gambia forests according to their stock density with the exception of gallery and mangrove forests as indicated in table 1.
Table 1: Land use Classes of Forests
|
Classification |
Description |
|
I Mangrove A |
Mangroves more than 7 meters high, mainly Rhizophora |
|
II mangrove B |
Mangroves less than 7 meters high, |
|
III Gallery forest |
Forests along side of water courses with tree height above 7 meters |
|
IV Closed woodland |
Forests on freely drained soils with tree cover of 50% or more (canopy density) |
|
V Open woodland |
Forests on freely drained soils with 10% - 50% tree cover |
|
VI Tree and shrub savanna |
Tree and shrub vegetation on freely drained soils with less than 10% tree cover or tree heights less than 11 meters |
|
VII Tree and shrub savanna with previous cultivation |
Tree and shrub savanna with indications of previous cultivation |
|
VIII Wooded upland crops |
Cultivated land on freely drained soils with less than 10% tree cover |
|
IX Upland crops with isolated or no trees |
Cultivated land on freely drained soils with relatively few or no trees |
|
X Swamps cultivated |
Mainly rice cultivation near water courses |
|
XI Swamps uncultivated |
Area near water courses with some vegetation cover, but uncultivated |
|
XII Barren flats |
Saline soils near water courses without vegetation cover |
|
XIII Water surface |
|
|
XIV Towns, Villages |
Source: Forestry Department, GGFP Report No. 10, 1983
The land use classes for the national forest resources inventory 1997/98 based their classification on the land use types mapped by the National Environment Agency (NEA) as:
Agriculture with trees,
Shrub Savanna (crown cover of 2-20%)
Savanna Woodland (crown cover of 20-40%)
Savanna Woodland /Woodland Transition (crown cover of 40-60%)
Dry Woodland (crown cover above 60%) including Gallery Forest and Riparian Forest
However, the classification of the NEA land use types is difficult to compare with the 1983-land use classes. To evaluate the land use changes, an assessment based on the 1982 and 1993 aerial photos was undertaken by Teusan in 1998. For the land use changes monitoring (LCM) the following classification was adopted (Teusan, 1999):
I Closed woodland with more than 60% crown cover
II Woodland savanna with crown cover of 20 to 60%
III Tree and shrub savanna with crown cover of 2 to 20%
IV Agriculture with more than 10% trees
V Agriculture with less than 10% trees
VI Fallow land
VII Mangroves
VIII Others
For classification purposes, eight wildlife habitat types are distinguished as:
- mangroves,
- coastal dunes,
- coastal forests,
- barren flats,
- seasonal moist forests,
- gallery forests,
- fresh water swamps, and
- dry woodland savannah types.
The new forest legislation distinguishes four broad forest categories:
- state forests (Forest parks & other Forests),
- community forests,
- private forests, and
- national parks/nature reserves.
This latter category is administered and managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
The discussions in this document will focus on the 1983 forest classification, as it is the most frequently used in the country.
