9. Forest uses and related issues (Utilisation)

Forestry in The Gambia is an integrated live-support system to many Gambians and the resources contribute significantly to the living of the Gambian population. Trees and shrubs are commonly used in traditional medical treatments and for other uses. Many women especially in the Western Division, rely on the natural forests for their subsistence.

The coastal forests including the mangrove forests, also provide the local communities with wood products for construction and energy. The existence of mangrove forests on either side of the river banks up to about 250 kilometres upstream, also play a significant role in maintaining stability of the river banks and provide habitat for many migratory birds and a life support system to many other plants, animals and aquatic life. The mangroves that provide natural habitat for oysters also provide many Gambians, mostly women with some source of subsistence.

However, the results of the coastal resources assessments under the climate change scenarios, indicate a possible inundation of most of the mangroves on the coastal areas because of a predicted sea level rise that could affect The Gambia.

The upland forests continue to provide energy, construction and building material, food and local medicine to both rural and urban settlements. As such, it significantly contributes to the socio-economic development of the people of this country in providing the above mentioned resources, job opportunities and income.

What is obvious, is the frequent bush fires that continue to destroy more trees, reducing the available firewood volume close to settlement areas and increasing the distance for collection. Therefore, until the moment that bush fires are brought under control by increasing managed forest areas (forest parks and community forests), fires will continue to damage more available wood.

Table 13 depicts what was predicted for the total volume per hectare (V/ha.), timber volume per hectare (Vs/ha.) and firewood volume per hectare (V/ha.) in each division based on the 1983 inventory as well as estimates of increment per hectare (I/ha.).

Table 13: Predicted available wood volume per division

However there are indications of a decline in fuelwood consumption from 2.2 Kg/cap/day for urban and 0.72 Kg/cap/day for urban and rural areas respectively between 1992 and 1999 based on Steiner (1996) and NARI (1999). Such a decline in urban consumption could be attributed to either an increased use of other energy alternatives such as butane gas or an increase in unit price of fuelwood resulting to a more efficient use of fuelwood. The dynamics of household energy consumption was recognised in the study of Forest Revenues and Budgetary Requirements. The predictions are that urban households would switch to more convenient sources of commercial energy such as butane gas and kerosene, when there is an opportunity such as increase in incomes, even if the price of firewood is relatively lower (as the price elasticity of wood equals to 1). The reduction in the use of firewood for either cooking or heating in the urban areas as reported by Von kruedener (1995) could result to a shift in purchase of more wood-furniture with increase in purchasing power, which could result to more usage of forest resources as more quality wood is required in furniture making.

Due to the degradation of the forest resources, the forests cannot meet the fuelwood demand of the population. The figures in table 14 indicate only the commercial fuelwood supplies with documents from the forestry service.

Table 14: Commercial fuelwood trade in The Gambia in m³

¹⁾ The figure for Western Division was from July to December.

²⁾ The figures of the year are from January to September.

However, out of the country’s total commercial fuelwood supply, about 60% are acquired through an informal importation mainly from Senegal. The 40% produced in the country about 10% are branchwood (Branchwood commercialisation began in 1998).

The plantations established in around 1962 with mainly Gmelina arborea and Tectona grandis have long since reach their economic rotation, as indicated by the low increment. Up to 1987, the plantations were harvested through selective felling. In 1987, the clearfelling system was introduced with an average out turn of 2200 m³/year.

The natural forest could provide on average, approximately 1.5 thousand cubic meters of logs and the plantation 2.2 cubic meters annually as in Table 15. This contribution of plantations in meeting wood requirements to some extent minimises the demand pressure on the natural forests. Secondly the contributions of imported wood (canted or converted logs) as reflected in this table, is rising. One possible answer to the high contribution of imported wood to domestic needs, could be the market available for imported wood and the control on the local wood supplied.

Table 15: Forest Production (logs) in 1000 m³ and imported wood

Source: Based on Forestry Department (GGFP log production data), Moukhtara Co. and Central Statistics Department

*Import figures account for only number (converted wood) and not expressed in thousand m³ as in round logs.

Wild fruits, from trees and shrubs, many of which are under-exploited (some of which are either supplementary or primary food source), provide good nutritious supplements to our diet such as protein, vitamins and roughage and also medicinal values at certain times of their growing period. Table 16 provides information on common Gambian tree species that contains some of the required nutrients of the human body.

Table 16: Common Trees and their Nutritional Content per 100 g of edible portion

Source: B.S. Platt, Tables of Representative Values of food commonly used in Tropical Countries; M. C. Latham, human Nutrition in Tropical Africa, FAO - Food and Nutrition series, No. 11. as cited in, The Gambia Forest or Desert.