Introduction
Kiang West National ParkTanji/Karinti Bird ReserveBao Bolon Wetland Reserve
Abuko Nature ReserveRiver Gambia National ParkNiumi National Park


Protected Areas in The Gambia
NIUMI NATIONAL PARK

General Information
The Niumi National Park occupies the coastal strip of The Gambia north of the river. The park is approximately 4,940 ha (49.4 km2) in extent. Apart from being an important fish breeding ground, it constitutes one of the last untouched mangrove stands on the West African Coast north of the equator. The more terrestrial parts of the park contain an interesting cross section of threatened regional fauna and a wide diversity of habitat types. The international character of the Delta complex as one ecological entity with vital and incalculable environmental value to the region and its people, prompted The Gambia and Senegal to recognise the need to protect this area. The Gambia declared its portion of the Delta as a national park in 1986, comprising the southern part of the coastal wetlands and mangroves of the Saloum Delta. The park is contiguous with Senegal's Delta du Saloum National Park and Biosphere Reserve.

Areas of Interest
Niumi National Park encompasses the island of Jinack which is separated from the mainland by the narrow Niji Bolon. The island is mainly low-lying with extensive areas of coastal dune woodland, salt water marsh dominated by Tamarisk and manrove fringing the bolon. The mainland section of the park incorporates dry woodland and grassland savannah which is on a raised laterite plateau. This plateau is dissected by the Masarinko Bolon which is mangrove lined and backed by salt-pan to the escarpment edge. Manatee's occur within the bolon and were previously hunted for meat. The clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) is also found in the Masarinko Bolon but as with the manatee it is shy and difficult to observe.

Avi-fauna
Niumi National Park is home to a large diversity of resident bird species and also is an important site for European migrants. A bird ringing programme has been in operation on Jinack Island since 1994 and has added numerous new species to the parks bird list. A large variety of warblers (17 species) have been found to use the island as a stop-over and feeding site both on the journey south and on their return north. The warblers are difficult to distinguish in the field due to their subtle plumage characteristics and generally skulking behaviour. The shallow offshore waters provide excellent feeding conditions for terns, gulls and other piscivorous species which roost in large numbers off Buniadu Point. The mangrove and tidal flats are rich in waders, many of which are seasonal migrants but some, such as the white-fronted sand plover, nest on the dune fringe. Harriers are frequently encountered quartering the area during the European winter months.

Fauna
Leopard, hyena and a variety of smaller carnivores are found on the island which feed on oribi, reedbuck, primates and carrion. Hyenas often forage the shoreline looking for dead fish. Crocodiles occur in the seasonally flooded lagoons and swamps, retreating to semi-permanent waterholes as the dry season progresses and excavating burrows several metres long when these are also dry. Green turtles nest along the coastal strip, coming ashore on moonless nights to lay their eggs. In addition to supporting a complex of fauna and avifauna of great scientific interest, the area possesses one of the world's rarer mammalian species - the West African manatee and also an endangered member of the otter family - the cape clawless otter. Humpbacked dolphin, Nile crocodile, Grimms duiker, kob, oribi, hyena and a few leopards also occur in the area.


Introduction
Kiang West National ParkTanji/Karinti Bird ReserveBao Bolon Wetland Reserve
Abuko Nature ReserveRiver Gambia National ParkNiumi National Park