The National Assembly’s Select Committee on Environment, Sustainable Development and NGO Affairs has released a scathing performance audit that identifies systemic institutional, financial, and operational failures currently undermining the integrity of the country’s coastal and marine protected areas. The report, dated September 2026, serves as a wake-up call for policymakers, revealing that half of the nation’s sixteen designated protected zones lack approved management plans, effectively leaving these ecological sanctuaries vulnerable to exploitation and degradation.

Chaired by Hon. Yaya Gassama, the committee’s investigation highlights a troubling disconnect between government rhetoric regarding conservation goals and the reality on the ground. According to the audit, the absence of robust enforcement, coupled with chronic underfunding and fragmented institutional mandates, has allowed illegal fishing, poaching, pollution, and the systematic destruction of mangroves to proliferate unchecked across protected ecosystems.

A Chronology of Declining Oversight

The state of coastal management has been a subject of increasing concern for environmental advocates over the past decade. Following the country’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.5—which targets the conservation of at least 10% of coastal and marine areas—the government reported reaching a 9.25% threshold. However, this progress is now being treated with extreme skepticism by the legislature.

The parliamentary inquiry, conducted as part of the Assembly’s constitutional oversight mandate, sought to verify these claims. The audit period specifically analyzed the operational capacity of the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management and its partner agencies. The committee found that while the government has been quick to declare areas as protected on paper, there has been a near-total failure to translate these designations into actionable, field-level management.

The Data Gap and the Myth of 9.25 Percent

One of the most damning findings in the report concerns the statistical methodology used to report progress on SDG 14.5. The committee explicitly stated that the reported 9.25% conservation figure lacks any credible scientific basis. The audit noted that there is no standardized national framework for measuring marine biodiversity or tracking ecological shifts, making the government’s official claims impossible to verify.

Without a transparent, evidence-based methodology, the country remains unable to track its progress against international benchmarks. The committee argues that this lack of rigor is not merely an administrative oversight; it is a fundamental flaw that prevents the government from monitoring the health of marine resources, thereby jeopardizing food security and the climate resilience of coastal communities.

Institutional Fragmentation and Policy Incoherence

The audit paints a picture of a government working at cross-purposes. The committee identified severe "policy incoherence" among the key institutions responsible for the nation’s land and marine resources. Conflicting mandates between the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Lands, and the Ministry of Agriculture have created a regulatory vacuum.

This fragmentation has directly facilitated the encroachment of industrial and commercial activities into protected zones. In its site visits, the committee uncovered instances where fuel stations and dry port infrastructure—projects that are fundamentally at odds with conservation efforts—were permitted within boundaries that should have been strictly protected. The lack of a comprehensive national land-use policy has left the environment at the mercy of short-term economic interests, with no clear arbiter to prioritize ecological preservation over industrial expansion.

Operational Decay: The State of the Ranger Force

Beyond policy failures, the audit highlights a crisis of operational capacity. The personnel tasked with patrolling these areas are working under conditions that the committee described as untenable. Park rangers frequently lack basic field equipment, including uniforms, protective gear, and surveillance technology.

Perhaps more concerning is the committee’s observation regarding the professional qualifications of the workforce. There is a documented shortage of personnel with the technical expertise required for modern conservation management. Furthermore, the committee noted that the budget for these departments is almost exclusively consumed by recurrent administrative expenditures, leaving virtually nothing for the field logistics, fuel for patrol boats, or research equipment necessary to combat poaching and illegal maritime activities.

Financial Underperformance and the Biodiversity Trust Fund

The report also scrutinizes the fiscal management of conservation funds. Despite the existence of a Biodiversity Trust Fund, the committee found it to be largely dormant and underutilized. Of the 16 designated protected sites, only four are currently generating revenue through gate fees or other eco-tourism activities, leaving the majority entirely dependent on state budgets that are already insufficient.

The committee raised serious accountability concerns regarding the handling of international donor funds, including resources provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The lack of transparency in how these funds are allocated and the failure to leverage private-sector partnerships suggest a missed opportunity to transform protected areas into self-sustaining, revenue-generating national assets.

The Path Forward: Recommendations for Reform

The committee’s recommendations are comprehensive, calling for an immediate overhaul of the current administrative framework. At the heart of these recommendations is the establishment of a standardized national monitoring framework to ensure that future reporting on SDG 14.5 is accurate, scientific, and transparent.

The report urges the Ministry of Environment to prioritize the operational capacity of protected areas by reallocating budget lines toward ranger equipment, surveillance systems, and field logistics. It also calls for the urgent development of a national land-use policy that carries legal weight, preventing the encroachment of industrial infrastructure into environmentally sensitive regions.

Furthermore, the committee has proposed a radical shift in how conservation is taught and managed locally. By calling for a formal partnership with the University of The Gambia, the committee hopes to develop a specialized curriculum in protected-area management, fostering a new generation of professionals equipped to handle the complexities of biodiversity conservation.

Implications for National Sustainability

The failure to manage coastal and marine protected areas is not merely an environmental issue; it is a socio-economic one. These areas are vital for the preservation of fish stocks that sustain local populations, providing a buffer against the rising threats of climate change, such as coastal erosion and storm surges.

If the status quo continues, the country faces a long-term decline in its natural capital. The committee’s findings indicate that the "protection" of these areas is currently a paper exercise that offers little protection against the mounting pressures of population growth and industrialization. The urgency of the report lies in the fact that once these ecosystems are degraded—particularly the mangrove forests, which act as crucial carbon sinks and nurseries for marine life—the damage is often irreversible.

As the National Assembly prepares to deliberate on these findings, the pressure is on the executive branch to demonstrate a commitment to reform. For Hon. Yaya Gassama and his committee, the message is clear: the country can no longer afford to treat its coastal and marine heritage as an afterthought. Effective conservation requires more than just legislation; it requires funding, enforcement, transparency, and a fundamental alignment of government policy that puts the long-term health of the environment at the center of the national development agenda.

The audit serves as both a roadmap for recovery and a stern warning. Without the implementation of these recommendations, the nation’s marine biodiversity will continue to dwindle, potentially leaving future generations with a depleted environment and a legacy of missed opportunities. The government now faces the task of proving that its commitment to the environment is more than just a public relations exercise, and that it is capable of the rigorous, transparent management required to safeguard the nation’s most precious marine resources.