GEPADG
Established in 1992
Gunjur environmental protection and development group
On the 25th March 2008 the Secretary of State for Forestry & Environment gazetted / declared Bolong Fenyo as the Gambia's first Community Wildlife Reserve. The site is located in the Village of Gunjur, Kombo South, along 2 kilometres of the Atlantic Coastline. Its area's geographical coordinates are 16°47’ E - 16° 47’ E - 13°21’N -13°23’N and covers a total area of 345 hectares. Its distance from Banjul is 35 km.
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This area of Gunjur incorporates mangroves, dry woodlands and coastal dune scrub. The area is very fragile and provides critical roosting ground for both residential and migratory species of birds. It is also a breeding ground for green turtles. Such ecosystems include marine, coastal dune, fresh water mash, mangrove, woodland/savanna and thicket. The presence of mangroves makes it an ecologically important locations for spawning and chick rearing.
However, human activity in the area is damaging the delicate ecosystem. Because of the threat the Gunjur Environmental Protection and Development Group, the local people, the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the World Bank came together for the project which is called the Integrated Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Management Project.
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The importance of the area is because of the diversity of bird species found their which for example is a roosting and feeding area for sea gulls, terns, and other avian species. Because its shoreline location is on the western most tip of Africa means that it is one of the stop-overs on the flight path for many Palearctic migrants species. Among these are Caspian terns, black winged stilt, black backed gull. In 2006, 76 species of birds (marine and woodland), were recorded from Bolong Fenyo.
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So far 11 reptilian species and 16 mammal species have been recorded. Past the shoreline there are 3 crab species, bottle nose dolphins and Humpback bottle nose dolphins, mudskippers and jellyfish. The green turtle which is a threatened species also comes to lay its eggs on the beach.
Among the reptiles are: black forest cobra, spitting cobra, geckoes, Nile monitor, chameleon and the African python.
the mammals are: Sun squirrel, Epaulet fruit bats, hare, Gambian mongoose, the porcupine and others.
Typical plants in the woodland and scrub are Rhun palm, African locust bean, baobab, Acacia and mango trees.
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Bolongfenyo is heavily affected due to illegal logging a contributing factor being poverty and lack of alternative income amongst the local population. Weak environmental policies by the previous dictatorship have exacerbated the problem and climate change.
Bolongfenyo reserve is home to many bird species wildlife and aquatics. In a healthy state they are tourist attraction, which indirectly provide livelihoods for the local community. The local population must be provided the skills and knowledge to engage in sustainable activities rather than destroy the forests due to their economic condition and lose of biodiversity on which their lives and ecosystem depends
Illegal logging, hunting and industrial pollution in the Bolongfenyo
A list of species found in the Bolongfenyo
1. Pink-Backed Pelican Pelecanus Rufescens
2. Hammer Kop Scopur Umbretta
3. Long tailed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus
4. Cattle egret Bubulcus Ibis
5. Squacco Heron Ardeola Ralloides
6. Black egret Egretta Ardesiaca
7. Western Reef Heron Egretta Gularis
8. Little egret Egretta Garzetta
9. Great White egret Egretta Alba
10. Grey Heron Ardea Cinerea
11. Purple Heron Ardea Pururea
12. White faced whistling Duck Dendrocygna Viduata
13. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
14. African Harrier Hawk Polyboroides typus
15. Pied Crow Corvus Albus
16. Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes Monachus
17. Red Necked Falcon Falco Chicquera
18. Double Spurred Francolin Francolinus bicalcaratus
19. Spur Winged Plover Vanellus Spinosus
20. Wattle Plover Vanellus Senegallus
21. Grey Plover Pluvialis Squatarola
22. Ringed Plover Charadrius Hiaticula
23. Whimbrel Numenius Phaeopus
24. Common Greeen Shank Tringa Nebularia
25. Common Sandpiper Actitis Hypoleucos
26. Black winged stilt Himantopus Himantopus
27. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
28. Grey Headed gull Larus Grrocephalur
29. Lesser Black Backed gull Laris Fuscus
30. Caspian Tern Sterna Caspia
31. Royal Tern Sterna Matima
32. Sandwich Tern Sterna Sandvicensis
33. Little Tern Sterna Albifrons
34. Laughing Dove Streptopelia Senegalensis
35. Blue Spotted Wood Dove Turtur Afer
36. Red Eyed Dove Streptopelia Semitorquata
37. Vinaceous Dove Streptopelia Vinacea
38. Piapiac Ptilostomus Afer
39. Senegal Coucal Centropus Senegalensis
40. Diederik Cuckoo Chrysococcoyx Caprius
41. Black Wood Hoopoe Rhinopomastus Aterrimus
42. Green Wood Hoopoe Phoeniculus Purpureus
43. Malachite King Fisher Alcedo Cristata
44. Broad Billed Roller Eurystomus Glaucurus
45. Blue Bellied Roller Coracias Cyanogaster
46. Little Bee-eater Merops Pusillus
47. Senegal Parrot Poicephalus Senegalus
48. Violet Turaco Musophaga Violacea
49. Western Grey Plaintain Eater Crinifer Piscator
50. Yellow Fronted Tinker Bird Pogoniulus Chrysoconus
51. Red Billed Horn Bill Tockus Erythrorhynchus
52. African Grey Horn Bill Tockus Nasutus
53. Grey Wood Pecker Mesopicos Goertae
54. Fine Spotted Wood Pecker Campethera Punctuugera
55. Crested Lark Galerida Cristata
56. Fanti Saw-Wing Psalidoprocne Obscura
57. Red Crested Swallow Thrundo Lucida
58. African Golden Onole Oriolus Auratus
59. Fork Tailed Drongo Dicrurus Adsimilis
60. Common Bulbul Pycnonotus Barbatus
61. Brown Babbler Turdoides Plebejus
62. Tawny Flanked Prinia Prinia Subflava
63. Green Backed Eremomela Eremomela Pusilla
64. Grey Backed Cameroptera Camaroptera Breachyura
65. Beautiful Sun Bird Nectarinia Pulchella
66. Black Crowned Tchagra Tchagra Senegala
67. Yellow Crowned Gonolek Laniarius Barbarus
68. White Crested Helmet Shrike Prionops Plumatus
69. Greater Blue Eared Glossy Starling Lamprotornis Chalybaeus
70. Long Tailed Glossy Starling Lamprotornis Caudatus
71. Grey Headed Sparrow Passer Griseur
72. Northern Red Bishop Euplectes Franciscanus
73. Black Winged Red Bishop Euplectes Hordeaceus
74. Village Weaver Ploceus Cucullatus
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1. Mudskipper Porogobius schlegelii
2. The green turtle Chelonian mydas
3. Fruit bat Lyssonycteris anagolesis smithii
4. Western red colobus Piliocolobus badius temminckii
5. Calithrix monkey Chlorocebus sabaeus
6. Senegal bush baby Galago senegalensia
7. Bush buck Tragelaphus s. scriptus
8. Red flanked duiker Cephalophus rufilatus
9. Clawless otter Aonyx capensis
10. Pardine genet crested
11. Serval
12. Porcupine
13. Gambia mongoose Mungos gambianus
14. Hyena {spotted} Crocuta crocuta
15. Sun squirrel Heliosciurus
16. Ground squirrel Xerus erythropus
17. Cane rat Thryonomys swinderianus
18. Gambian giant porch rate Cricetomys gambianus
19. Hare Lepus saxatilis/oryctolagus cuniculus
20. African rock
21. Royal pythons
22. Puff adder Bitis a arietans
23. Spitting cobra Naja nigricollis
24. African bush snake Philithamnus semivariegatus
25. Black forest cobra
26. Sand snake Psammophis sibilans/psammophis rukwae
27. Nile monitor Varanusn. Niloticus
28. Nile crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus
29. Leather back Dermochelys coriacea
30. Red flanked and armetage skink
31. Skinless and geckoes
32. Humped back dolphin Sousa teuzii
33. Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncates
34. Pilot bayed Globicephala macroohynchus
35. Minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata
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1. Baobab Adansonia digitata
2. Rhum palm Borassus aethiopum
3. Ironwood Prosopis Africana
4. Winterthron Acacia albida
5. Mohogany Khaya senegaleensis
6. Ginger bread plum Parinari macrophylla
7. Silk cotton Ceiba pentandra
8. African rosewood Pterocarpus erinaceus
9. Fara Piliostigma thonning
10. Kobo Ficus vogelii
11. Soto Ficus
12. Jallo Detarium senegalense
13. Kosito Dialium guineense
14. Soto-kuro Ficus capensis
15. Mampato Parinan excelsa
16. Wolo Terminalia albida
17. Bembofingo Lannea microcarpa
18. Bembomnso Lannea velutina
19. Raftia palm Raphia palma-pinus
20. Oil palm Elaeis guineense
21. Mimosa Dychrostachys
22. West African laburnum Cassia sieberianna
23. Guinea peach Nauchea latifolia
24. Loust bean Parokia biglobosa
25. Mandingo kola Cola cordifoiia
26. Black plum Vitex doniana
27. Kaba senegalensis
28. Folay Landolphia heudelafii
29. Cashew Anacardium occidentale
30. Red mangrove Rhizophora racemosa
31. White mangrove Avicenia
32. Thinning polio stigma Poliostigma
33. Mango Mangifera indica
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