A sub-regional meeting of West African focal points of the convention on biological diversity concluded, on Wednesday, at Paradise Suites hotel, in Kololi. The meeting brought together participants from different West African countries, and aims to serve as a preparatory meeting for delegates attending Conference of Parties (COP 9), which is to be held in the German capital city of Bonn.

The two-day sub-regional meeting sought to review the implementation of the CBD in the sub-region particularly the program of work for protected areas and to further update and share information on the scope of COP 9 with PRCM regions on CBD focal points.

In his keynote address, Kotu Cham,  SoS for the Department of Forestry and Environment,  underscored the importance of this capacity building forum where we identify critical issues related to the implementation of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (POWPA) cannot be emphasised. He also added that the forum is expected to inform and build the capacity of participants in West Africa and help to harmonize the views in Bonn.

SoS Cham further stated that as a sub-regional group, there is a need for participants to understand the critical issues bio-diversity conservation and management are facing. The challenge, he insisted, is to get together as one in Bonn.

He added by recalling that Gambia's stance in conservation and wildlife is constant, as the country revised the National Bio-diversity and Wildlife Act in 2003.  As a result, he noted, The Gambia has developed and adopted a national system that is meant to provide the policy and legal framework for the management, conservation and sustainable use of bio-diversify both within and outside the protected areas. He concluded that The Gambia has a total number of seven protected areas.