The rural outreach, which targets a total of 180 participants from nine rural communities, seeks to secure livelihoods and fortify the environment, giving hope to communities that are fast losing a substantial portion of mangroves in their brackish waters.
Aruna Jobe, Natural Resources Specialist, Food and Agriculture Oganisation, said mangrove restoration is not just about planting trees; but rather it's about empowering communities to be the guardians of their future.
The exercise, he added, would expose participants to the intricate connections between natural resources and humanity, thus according them valuable insights into mangrove vegetation characteristics, myriad benefits, and propagation methods.
FAO representative further disclosed that, the phase of reviving mangroves in rural Gambia marks the initial stage of their mission; in equipping participants for the next phase which is planting of mangroves.
“This training has opened our eyes to the importance of mangroves. We now understand how they protect us from floods and provide us with food. We are eager to be part of this effort to regenerate our mangroves," says Famara Tamba, a participant from Bantanjang, Foni.
PROREFISH Gambia is a transformative project dedicated to enhancing coastal communities-resilience in The Gambia. It focuses on restoring and safeguarding vital mangrove ecosystems while securing livelihoods threatened by climate change, exemplifying the harmony between nature and human well-being.
According to a research, mangroves are more than just trees; they are lifelines for many communities and also provide income, medicine, wildlife habitats, food security, flood protection, pollution filtering, erosion control, and coastal storm defence.
