National Action Programme to Combat Desertification (NAP).

This National Action Programme to combat desertification in The Gambia, developed through a participatory process, expresses the contribution and the efforts of The Gambia to arrest the menace of land degradation and desertification. The Programme is structured as follows: analysis on the causes of desertification and the related main problems, including declining of soil fertility and over-exploitation of the rangelands; sectoral studies on forest and wildlife management; sectoral studies on agriculture, soil and water conservation; studies on livestock and range management; studies on population and social dimensions of desertification; institutional framework; development goals; guiding principles, including: mobilisation of local resources, strengthening of private sector involvement, dissemination of information to the public and environmental education priority measures; information and public awareness; institutional and financial arrangements; monitoring and evaluation. The Programme’s vision of combating desertification and reducing environmental degradation is part of the framework involving the conservation and the sustainable exploitation of the nation's natural resources and environment, and the increasing of agricultural production for the benefit of present and future generations.
Concerning priority measures and actions for each sector, this Programme focuses on: implementation of community forest initiatives; reducing the scarcity of forest products; promoting afforestation with indigenous tree species; involving local communities in the management of protected areas; trans-boundary management of wildlife resources; establishing a comprehensive database to facilitate planning in the area of rangeland management and livestock production; addressing measures to check soil degradation; training of farmers in integrated land-use planning; combating severe upland erosion and related siltation in the lowlands; development of extension tools to address the issue of inappropriate crop production practices; development of targeted youth and family programmes in the framework of combating desertification; improving monitoring capacity in environmental management; implementing on-going activities, such as environmental impact assessment, conservation farming, soil and water resources management.