“The Gambia’s adaptation experience:Coastal protection and building resilienceof coastal communities.”

NAP Expo 11 – 15 July 2016

Bonn, Germany

Approaches / adaptation solutions

Alpha A.K. Jallow (UNFCCC FP)

INTRODUCTION

National strategic Docs (NCs, NAPA) concluded

the Gambia is highly vulnerable to climate

change and variability as it depend on rain-fed

agriculture;

Sea level rise was another event of CC with

the resulting coastal erosion threatening the

Capital and coastal infrastructure (roads, hotels,

bridges)

Immediate and urgent actions were request to

address the situation

Geology of the Coastal

Zone of The Gambia

VULNERABILITY OF THE COASTAL ZONE TO

CLIMATE CHANGE

• About 92 square Km of land will be inundated as a

result of 1-metre sea level rise.

• About 50% (47 km2) will be on the sheltered coast.

• With a 1-metre sea level rise, the whole of the

capital city of Banjul will be lost;

• The mangrove systems on the river mount will be

lost.

• About 217 million US Dollars worth of land will be

lost.

• Inundation will be followed by shoreline retreat

which would vary along the coast from 102 m in the

harder cliffted zone to 839 m in the gently sloping

sandy areas.

VULNERABILITY OF CAPITAL SLR

IMPACTS OF COASTAL EROSION

URGENT ADAPTATION ACTIONS

1. Banned sand mining on the coastline;2. Beach nourishment project in 2002(Government)3. Coastal protection and building resilience of

coastal communities-NAPA project: coastal defense systems, improving vegetable gardens, rehabilitating salt mining facilities, providing fishing gears, building anti-salt dykes across rice fields, mangroves restoration

4. Integrated coastal zone management and the mainstreaming of climate change mainstreaming-GCCA project: ICZM plan, NCCP, sensitization and capacity building, coastal protection mechanisms

Result: Senegambia-Kairaba Hotel Beach face is

150 metres wide at high tide. (2004).

150 metres

Maladaptation: degradation and contraction of

Senegambia beach from 150 meters down to 16

meters in some places

Kololi Beach before the NourishmentKololi Beach after the Nourishment

in 2003

Kololi Beach in 2010 – worst than 2002 before the Nourishment

Effects of maladaptation

Why maladaptation

• Grain sizes of Original (fine) and Nourishment

(coarser) Sand are different and so more

amenable to erosion;

• Merely dumping sand on the dynamic Gambia

Beach is inappropriate;

• Need to construct and maintain sand and

shoreline stabilization structures to slow down

sand movement;

OTHER ACTIONS: sheltered coast (GCCA-Project)

Ant-salt dyke to enhance rice pdt

Restoration & protecting River bank against erosion

OTHER ACTIONS: sheltered coast

Fishing enhancedCB on CC risk management on the coastal zone

THANK YOU