The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) has embarked on a tree planting exercise of 1,300 trees in Foni Bondali Jula in the West Coast Region (WCR) of the country.
This resplendent reforestation initiative driven by the GRCS was undertaken with financial and technical support of USAID, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC).
The NGO seeks to combat and effectively prevent soil erosion and deforestation, as well as address the disastrous challenges posed by overgrazing, to ensure a robust green cover in the community.
Acting Secretary General of the Gambia Red Cross Society, Abdoulie Fye, stated they planted these trees to mitigate the effects of climate change, which has affected communities, lamenting how deforestation has affected 'our' environment.
"So today, we are here to plant trees and help them to grow also. It is not only about planting; it is also about ensuring that they grow and provide the necessary benefits to the community," Mr. Fye said, and emphasised the essence of trees and forests.
"Trees are important because the oxygen we breathe in comes from trees and the carbon dioxide we give out goes to the trees. So if we cut down trees, the carbon dioxide we release would not be absorbed without trees. However, it will rather go to the atmosphere and accumulate there. That is why there is a lot of heat because the trees are not taking in the Carbon dioxide we release," he said.
He added that trees also help in ensuring that "we have good amount of rain" and said without much trees, there may not be enough rain, which in turn will affect agriculture. He underscored environmental protection and wildlife conservation among other importance in having a veritable ecosystem.
"So that is why we are here to partner with the community," Mr Fye said pleasingly, and continued that they also do the exercise every year with community partnership.
"Because of this community resilience, partnering with them and continuing to motivate them is important," he said.
The acting SG also said that GRCS ensures commitment to sustainability through regular monitoring routines, noting that their survival rate target is at least fifty to sixty per cent. He thus encouraged the community to nurture and ensure the sustainability of the seedlings planted.
Njogu Jeng, the National Society Development Officer of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) Dakar Cluster Delegation covering The Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde and Mauritania, outlined that at the IFRC level, The Gambia is one of the countries they give priority to, especially in the endeavour to mitigate climate change.
"This is one of the initiatives we are carrying out to combat climate risk and global warming," Jeng said.
He asserted that what makes such initiatives unique, is the community-led participation, "because it is the communities who identify locations for planting; the varieties to be planted and other peculiar issues pertaining to the initiative."
He, however, said that the main objective behind the initiative is actually to build the resilience of communities especially in dealing with the effects of climate change, and expressed optimism for their partnership with the GRCS in such an endeavour.
Mr. Jeng articulated: "I think this is one step towards combating deforestation, and there is some evidence that it has actually worked elsewhere, given that this is not the first of its kind. I think if you go through the forest, you will realize that last year, there were some trees that were planted, and you can see the survival rate is actually very positive," he said.
Sulayman Touray, the Forest manager from Kanilai to Bwiam, hail the GRCS and partners and the community volunteers, for the good initiative.
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"Forests are very important because many people benefit from them. The entire Gambia benefits from this forest because people come here to pluck fruits. Honey, medicine, fire wood and many things are obtained from here," he said.
Nevertheless, he pleaded for responsible utilisation of the forest by individuals, hailing community dwellers in taking their personal as well as collective effort to protect the forest and bar harmful practices.
Mamadou Colley Alkalo and Faye Gibba, the women rep, both took turns to accentuate firm points on the importance of trees and forests amidst a global climate crisis. They extended their gratitude to all stakeholders and community members who took part in the initiative, and urged their fellow villagers to tender the trees and plants, and maintain their survival, in order to prevent the havoc wrecked by climate change on their village and the region at large.
