The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has breathed new life into the parched panorama of the Bijilo Nature Park within the Gambia, affectionately often called “Monkey Park.”
This cherished nature reserve in Serekunda province has been grappling with an unforgiving three-decade-long drought, endangering its treasured biodiversity.
TIKA’s beneficiant contribution takes the type of water drilling, three important water ponds and a handwashing station – all tailor-made to salvage the park’s delicate ecosystem.
This initiative materialized via a collaborative effort with the Gambian Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources Ministry, aiming to bolster the park’s wildlife and allure extra guests.
The major objective is to offer a lifeline of unpolluted water to the park’s inhabitants, particularly the monkeys that decision it dwelling.
The Bijilo Nature Park boasts a shocking cocktail of over 150 chicken and reptile species, making it a refuge for nature fanatics.
However, the relentless drought had pushed these creatures to the brink.
Turkish Ambassador in Banjul Tolga Bermek shared his elation in the course of the venture’s inauguration, stressing the dire challenges confronted by our pure world within the face of urbanization, deforestation, forest fragmentation and world warming.
“Despite all these challenges, preserving natural life should be a prior responsibility for all of us,” he stated.
Thanks to the strategically positioned ponds, these susceptible creatures – monkeys, birds, reptiles and different wild animals – will now have a dependable water supply, particularly in the course of the grueling eight-month dry season.
“I hope the availability of fresh water throughout the year will contribute to the sustainability of wildlife within the park without depending on external sources,” Bermek added.
Gambian Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources Minister Rohey John Manyang hailed the initiative as a “historic partnership” and a compassionate gesture from Türkiye.
Sule Bayar, TIKA Banjul Program coordinator, lauded the venture’s alignment with the environmental efforts championed by first girl Emine Erdoğan and its resonance with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
For Suleyman Jobe, the supervisor of Monkey Park, these water ponds are a solution to a three-decade-long prayer. Monkeys have been pressured to enterprise into native residential areas, houses and resort gardens, the place they’d munch on individuals’s oranges, avocados, and mangoes – all attributable to their determined thirst.
He expressed profound gratitude to TIKA and the Turkish Embassy for stepping up.
This heartwarming endeavor didn’t go unnoticed, because it drew the eye of the Gambia Radio and Television Service, the nation’s nationwide broadcaster and overseas guests alike.
Notably, the Monkey Park performs a pivotal function in bolstering ecotourism within the Gambia and the TIKA venture aspires to amplify its influence, each in preserving wildlife and enhancing tourism revenues.
Source: www.dailysabah.com