An audit of The Gambia's coastal and marine protected areas has uncovered widespread illegal fishing, the harvesting of juvenile fish and persistent poaching across nearly all sites surveyed, raising urgent concerns about the sustainability of the country's marine resources and the fragile ecosystems that depend on them.
The findings, contained in a September 2025 report by the National Audit Office, are based on site visits to 16 protected areas across the country. They paint a troubling picture of weak enforcement, inadequate resources and a steady encroachment of illegal activity into zones meant to safeguard biodiversity and ensure long-term fish stocks.
Auditors said they found clear evidence of illegal fishing within designated marine protected areas, including the capture of juvenile fish, a practice that scientists warn can severely undermine future fish populations by removing them before they reach reproductive maturity.
"We confirmed illegal fishing during our site visits at coastal and marine protected areas where juvenile fish were found at the shore," the report states. "Illegal hunting does take place at all sixteen (16) of the sites visited except for Faraba Batang."
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The audit, which assessed the government's efforts to meet its conservation targets under Sustainable Development Goal 14.5, aimed at protecting at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, found that these protected zones are under mounting pressure from both human activity and institutional shortcomings.
In several locations, illegal fishing operations were not only persistent but emboldened. According to the report, many of those involved operate with weapons and are prepared to resist enforcement efforts.
"It was revealed that most of these illegal fishermen are armed and ready to fight back whenever the park officers want to arrest them," the auditors noted.
The report situates these findings within a broader pattern of weak monitoring and enforcement. Despite the ecological and economic importance of the sector, with more than 30 per cent of the population relying on coastal resources for their livelihoods, the institutions tasked with protecting these areas are struggling with limited capacity, inadequate equipment and insufficient funding.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife Management, along with the Department of Fisheries, has committed to protecting key breeding and nursery grounds, including maintaining a one-nautical-mile buffer zone along the coast. But the audit found that these commitments are not being effectively enforced, with illegal fishing continuing largely unchecked in these sensitive areas.
Interviews conducted with park officials and local communities confirmed that such practices are ongoing, often in full view of authorities who lack the means to intervene effectively.
The report also highlights a deeper structural issue: the absence of alternative livelihoods for communities living near protected areas. In only six of the 16 sites visited have there been any initiatives to support residents who depend on fishing or hunting for survival, leaving many with few options but to continue exploiting protected resources.
Compounding the problem is a near-total lack of public education efforts. According to the audit, no organised community sensitisation campaigns were conducted between 2016 and 2023 to raise awareness about the importance of conservation.
"In all the sixteen (16) coastal and marine protected areas visited, there has not been any organised community sensitisation from 2016-2023 to educate community members on the importance of preserving these areas due to the absence of a protected area system budget," the report states.
The consequences, auditors warn, could be severe and long-lasting. The continued harvesting of juvenile fish threatens to reduce overall fish stocks, potentially undermining food security and the livelihoods of fishing communities. At the same time, illegal hunting poses a direct threat to wildlife populations and the ecological balance of these environments.
"Illegal hunting can potentially decrease wildlife populations," the report cautions. "This can destroy the food chain within the ecosystem in the long run."
The audit further notes that these challenges are part of a wider set of deficiencies in the management of protected areas, including the lack of monitoring systems, inadequate staffing and insufficient technical capacity, all of which have hindered effective conservation efforts.
To address the growing crisis, the National Audit Office has called for a series of reforms, including stronger enforcement measures, daily patrols in protected areas and greater investment in community-based livelihood programs.
It also urged the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management to intensify public awareness campaigns and to work through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR) to secure a dedicated budget for the protected area system.
"The Department of Parks and Wildlife Management should conduct community sensitisation for effective management of these areas," the report recommends. "The Department of Parks and Wildlife Management, through the MECCNAR, should propose a protected area system budget to the relevant authorities."
In its response, the department said it would continue to push for the enactment of the long-delayed Biodiversity Bill 2020 and strengthen collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and the Gambia Navy to curb illegal fishing.
Three Men Fined for Illegal Logging in Brikama Court
By Louise Jobe
The Brikama Magistrate's Court has convicted and sentenced three men for cutting and transporting timber without a licence and without paying the required forestry fees.
Magistrate D. Sengore delivered the judgment on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, and ordered each of the accused to pay a fine of fifteen thousand dalasi or serve three months in prison in default.
When the case was called, DSP A. Badjie appeared for the Inspector General of Police. The accused persons were Jamanti Badjie, Modou Njie, and Basiru Kujabi. They were present in court but were not represented by lawyers. Each faced a single charge. After hearing the charges, they all pleaded guilty. All three were charged with removal of forest produce contrary to section 87(3) of the Forest Act 2018.
For the first accused, the court heard that Jamanti Badjie cut forest produce without a licence or payment of royalty fees to the Forestry Department. According to the particulars of offence, Jamanti Badjie, sometime in March 2025 at Bullock village, Foni Berefet District, West Coast Region, cut down a forest product without a licence and payment of royalty free to the Department of Forestry."
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The second accused, Modou Njie, was accused of transporting timber without a permit. The prosecution alleged that Modou Njie, during the same month and year at Kafuta village, Kombo East District, West Coast Region, drove a truck with the registration number BJL 5275 K loaded with 8 logs of timber, transporting them to the Kombo areas without a permit and payment of royalty fee to the Department of Forestry."
The third accused, Basiru Kujabi, was also found to have transported timber without authorisation. It was alleged that Basiru Kujabi, during the same period at Bullock, drove a truck loaded with 9 pieces of timbers (Bunkungo), transporting them to the Kombo areas without a permit and payment of royalty free to the Department of Forestry.
During the hearing, the prosecution applied to submit photographs of the logs and trucks. The court admitted the images as evidence and marked them as exhibits. Deputy Superintendent of Police A. Badjie, in his submission, said he applied to submit the photos of the logs and the trucks to the court. Magistrate D. Sengore admitted the photos and marked them as exhibits.
In his ruling, Magistrate Sengore convicted all three accused persons and imposed the fines. Magistrate D. Sengore, in his judgment, said that the three accused persons are convicted and sentenced to pay a fine of fifteen thousand dalasi each and, in default, to serve a three-month imprisonment.
The court also ordered that the seized forest products be forfeited to the State. Under section 126(1)(d), the forest products are confiscated by the State through the Forestry Department. And that section 19, fifty per cent of the fine to be paid to the Forest Fund.
