Regreening the Bintang Bolong Mangroves

Since 2016, the community-based Sankandi Youth Development Association has led the replanting of native red mangroves along the Bintang Bolong riverbank in Kiang West after decades of dieback caused by a Senegalese dam that let saltwater intrude on farmland. Volunteers and village nurseries have restored the ecosystem service link between six riverside communities, and the project is now working toward Plan Vivo certification as one of the Gambia's first community-led carbon projects. The work directly supports oyster harvesting, fishing catches and rice farming for households that lost livelihoods when the mangroves died back.