SENEGAL

Approximately 45% of Senegal is covered in forest. Of this, 18% is primary forest, one of the higher rates in West Africa. The country is home to a huge number of species and 11% of the land area is under some form of protection.

Since 1990, Senegal has lost 675,000 ha, or 7.2% of its forest. Deforestation is caused by a number of factors, including felling for fuelwood, charcoal and logging (much of the felling is illegal) and burning to clear land for agriculture. Wildlife poaching, and hydroelectric projects have also added to the degradation of forest areas. Senegal's burgeoning population is putting increasing pressure on the forests ' the population has quadrupled in 45 years. The deforestation has contributed to increased soil erosion, expanding desertification, flooding and periodic droughts which have had a negative impact on the countrys agriculture.

Successive governments have made attempts to halt the damage with tree planting schemes, some aimed at meeting timber and firewood needs (firewood and charcoal provide 63% of the countrys energy needs), and some to provide buffers against sandstorms. In 2005, the government announced support for the Great Green Wall project, the goal of which is to plant trees over a stretch of 7,000km from Dakar to Djibouti along the Sahel. Other governments have also pledged their support.

A number of reforestation projects are planned or underway, with the support of the international community. Involving local communities will be crucial in ensuring that these are successful and can be sustained.

DOCUMENTS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
01/02/2008	Forest Products Trade between China and Africa: An Analysis of Imports and Exports Recent media coverage of China's efforts to secure access to natural resources in Africa suggests ...	Forest Trends (Kerstin Canby, James Hewitt, Luke Bailey, Eugenia Katsigris, Sun Xiufang)
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NEWS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
08/06/2011	Illegal loggers profit from conflict in Senegal's Casamance Lorries loaded with stolen lumber stand parked in a clearing, ready to haul their cargo across the border ...	Business Live, South Africa
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18/06/2008	Fish and timber in West Africa need more sustainable EU policies say MEPs Fish and timber are natural resources often not managed in a sustainable way in West Africa due to inadequate ...	European Parliament (EU)
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03/04/2007	An ongoing battle against deforestation Cotonou - Where does a four-fold increase in a country's population over half a century make itself ...	IPs News Agency
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22/08/2006	Gambia: Salifou Sadio's Men Impose Embargo On Timber Trade Gambia - The Salifou Sadio faction of the southern Senegalese separatist MFDC movement has imposed an ...	AllAfrica.com
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22/01/2006	Goodbye to West Africa's rainforests West Africa's once verdant and extensive rainforests are now a historical footnote. Gone to build ...	Mongabay.com
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11/04/2004	Liberia: Environmentalists report illegal logging Monrovia - A Liberian environmental group has reported illegal timber exports from in the rebel-controlled ...	IRIN Africa
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