Culled from the Daily Observer of March 14, 2002, this article by Mamudu Wally, Eco-Tourism Development Officer DPWM, takes a look at the Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve – The Gambia. My apologies in advance for any typographical and grammatical errors as I had to retype the article myself.
Have a good day, Gassa.
Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve – The Gambia.
Bao Bolong (Bolong is a Mandinka word for tributary/stream) is located in the North Bank of The Gambia River opposite Kiang West National Park. It consists of six major bolongs between Salikeni and Katchang. Together these bolongs form a vast wetland complex of international importance. Bao Bolong does not have the characteristics of a river any more. It is a valley, which stretches over a length of more than 1,450 Metres from the border south of Ferlo towards the River Gambia. The valley crosses Senegal territory at Marlene and penetrates Gambia territory through Illiassa. The tidal flats have been the subject of low cost communal dyking schemes for fresh water retention and rice production.
The area has been designated as The Gambia’s first Ramsar (The international convention on wetlands) site. With funding from the Ramsar Bureau, a detailed environmental, ecological and socio-economic survey of the reserve has just been completed. This survey provides a sound management plan for the area in order to optimize the quantity and quality of wetland habitat available to water birds and other wetland dependent species. The proposed area is approximately 22,000 hectares. The significance of Bao Bolong lies in the fact that three distinct ecosystems – Mangrove forest, salt marsh and savannah woodland – all occur in very close proximity at several locations. Bao Bolong’s Mangrove ecosystem provides an important fish breeding ground and its tributaries are an important source of fish. Local communities also obtain fencing and roofing materials from the area.
Areas of Interest
Bao Bolong contains four main ecosystems – estuary, woodland-savannah, salt marsh and mangrove forests. The Bolong is a braided river system, which extends into Senegal, and in The Gambia forms a network of waterways and marshes interspersed with dry woodland savannah on higher ground. The flow of the Bao Bolong is now only concentrated in the rainy season and the resulting saline intrusion allows mangrove to extend far up the bolongs. At this point in the River Gambia, mangrove forests reach heights of up to 12M due to the lower osmotic pressure exerted by the lower salinity levels that occur towards the mouth of the river at Banjul. To the north of the reserve, the marshes are dominated by large stands of the reed Phragmites karka. The best way to explore the reserve is from the River Gambia by boat, and to wind slowly up the bolongs through the mangroves until the surrounding land rises and the mangrove gives way to a mosaic of marsh, salt flats and dry woodland. The drier areas can then be accessed by foot. On the journey up through the bolongs, you may see crocodiles basking on the muddy banks or the slide marks from were they re-enter the water. African clawless Otters occur throughout the reserve and prove quite inquisitive when encountered. Further upstream, common warthog, hyena and jackal may be seen in the drier areas. Access by road is available from Koneh Kunda Niji where a laterite track leads south along the base of the escarpment to the west of the bolong. From the escarpment edges excellent views are had and it is a good location from which to scan for wildlife. Other access points by road include Katchang to the east, Njaba Kunda to the north and Salikeni to the west.
Habitat types - Wetlands
Wetlands have a unique and valuable role in supporting food chains, providing habitat for fish and wildlife, and maintaining natural hydrological regimes. The value of wetlands in this regard is seldom realized until they are lost through drainage or other man induced alterations of their hydrology. The associated flora and fauna of wetlands is extremely diverse. The River Gambia, which forms the spine of the country, is fringed by a mosaic of wetlands with varying ecologies depending on their proximity to a marine influence. Mangrove swamps dominate in the lower reaches of the river, with gallery forest and raffia reed swamps above the limit to saline intrusion. A vast portion of Gambian and marine freshwater fish species are dependent on these ecosystems for successful reproduction and nursery conditions. However, the complexities of the various species’ life histories are far from being fully understood. They also provide essential conditions for a wide diversity of indigenous and migratory bird species.
Being habitats with very special characteristics, and besides their high biological productivity, wetlands are also very sensitive to changes within their whole catchment basin. Their resources have been exploited continuously since antiquity (for fishing, cultivation, building materials etc). But they are related to a more precious resource – water, which especially in Africa and particularly in the Sahel is becoming more and more scarce. As human population – and demand – increases, supply becomes reduced by inappropriate management practices and climate change. In recent years increased awareness of the need to conserve coastal and inland wetlands throughout the world has led to the cataloguing of major wetland sites, to the designation of many as reserves, and to the funding of research into their ecology. The value of a wetland is dependent on the maintenance of its hydrological regime.
Avi-Fauna
Bao Bolong provides a refuge for a number of The Gambia’s rarer birds. Within the mangrove forests, Pels fishing owls can occasionally be encountered roosting silently while brown-necked parrots chatter noisily through the canopy. The African Fish Eagle and Osprey both fish in the River Gambia and the network of bolongs. The cry of the former is characteristic of the area. Fin foots have been recorded quite frequently and the white-backed night heron is resident if somewhat elusive. The tidally flooded marshes and pans are frequented by a variety of herons, ibis, waders and waterfowls, with numbers seasonally augmented by European and African migrants. The reed-beds on the upper bolong are used for roosting by mixed flocks of passerine birds, as well as providing feeding and breeding habitat for various water birds.
Fauna
Wetlands also form the major habitat for a number of our rarer mammals, including hippopotamus, West African clawless Otter and Sitatunga as well as reptiles such as the Nile and Dwarf crocodiles, various chelonians and snakes.
Specialty Animal – African Clawless Otter
Species: Aonyx capensis
Description:
Widespread throughout Africa South of the Sahara in suitable habitat, occurring in small and large streams, lakes and swamps. Also found in the sea on rocky coasts and in estuaries, mainly with mangrove swamps. Within The Gambia clawless Otters are widely but thinly distributed. Populations occur in Kiang West, Gambia River and Niumi National parks and Bao Bolong Wetland reserve.
Ecology:
Clawless Otters prey on a wide range of foods including fish, snakes, crabs and water birds. They are capable of moving large distances over land in search of new food sources. Most activity is concentrated around dawn and dusk, but in areas of high disturbance they many be predominantly nocturnal. Clawless otters occupy holes, which may be shallow scrapes in dense vegetation, holes in trees, under rocks etc. They are also known to dig burrows in sandy soils.
Behaviour:
Little is known of the clawless otter’s social organization and it appears that adults are generally solitary. Females with young (usually 2-3) remain together until the young are capable of fending for themselves, though in some parts of their range they may form clans or extended families. Predators appear to be few as it is arguably the most formidable African carnivores.