Kédougou: The Minister of the Environment advocates for increased reforestation initiatives to counter the effects of gold mining.

At the end of his tour of the Kédougou region, the Minister of the Environment and Ecological Transition, Dr. Aliou Gori Diouf, commended several local initiatives aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems. He specifically advocated for increased reforestation efforts, the development of fruit tree cultivation, and the greening of roadsides to combat the effects of climate change.

The fight against ecosystem degradation in the Kédougou region also requires increasing reforestation initiatives. This is one of the main conclusions drawn by the Minister of the Environment and Ecological Transition, Dr. Aliou Gori Diouf, following his tour of the region.

The minister was particularly interested in a project to restore a site heavily impacted by traditional gold mining. The initiative, led by the town hall, the Water and Forestry Department, and PMC, involves reforesting a degraded area to offset the effects of mining on ecosystems.

For Dr. Aliou Gori Diouf, this experience deserves to be replicated on a larger scale.

"What we can take away from this tour is that there are several interesting experiences. We started with a site that was reforested for Tree Day to try to counter the effects of mining on ecosystems," he explained.

The minister emphasized the extent of the damage caused by traditional gold mining, particularly to the soil, vegetation, and ecosystems more broadly. In this context, he believes it is necessary to increase ecological restoration efforts.

“Traditional gold panning causes enormous damage to ecosystems. This pilot project must therefore be replicated. If we take into account the scale of the effects of this gold panning on ecosystems, we absolutely must multiply this kind of initiative,” he recommended.

Promoting fruit tree cultivation

During his tour, Dr Aliou Gori Diouf also visited a private initiative dedicated to fruit tree cultivation, developed with the support of the Water and Forestry services.

This experiment, which combines fruit trees and large winter crops, is, according to him, a path to be encouraged more, particularly because of its economic potential.

The minister hopes to see more private actors get involved in reforestation and planting fruit species with high economic value.

"We also visited another experiment, this time a private one, which has developed fruit tree cultivation in conjunction with major winter crops. This is an activity that needs to be promoted more," he said.

Roadside plantings to combat the heat

Another initiative highlighted by the minister: the linear plantings carried out by the Water and Forestry services along major roads.

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these plantings could help reduce the effects of heat on road infrastructure, in a context marked by rising temperatures linked to climate change.

"Climate change is resulting in an increase in temperature. This rise also has an effect on asphalt. The development of linear barriers along roadways can help to mitigate the temperature," the minister emphasized.

To illustrate his point, he cited the example of Medellín, Colombia, where vegetation planting along major roads reportedly helped to significantly reduce temperatures.

"We have seen it in other cities around the world, such as Medellín, where the systematic greening of major roads has helped to lower the temperature by two degrees," he said.

According to him, this strategy could also help to preserve road infrastructure by reducing its exposure to high temperatures.

"What the Water and Forestry Department is currently experimenting with needs to be amplified. This can help maintain our road infrastructure and increase its lifespan, particularly thanks to the decrease in temperature," he added.

An innovation in nurseries in Saraya

In the department of Saraya, the minister also visited facilities in the forestry sector as well as a nursery where he said he had observed progress in the production of quality seedlings.

He considers this innovation particularly encouraging, in a context where the quality of plant material is still insufficiently taken into account in the development of nurseries.

"We have seen an innovation with quality plantations in development. This is a first, because quality does not yet have a large place in the development of nurseries," he noted.

Dr. Aliou Gori Diouf praised the work done by the Water and Forestry services and announced a collaboration with forestry research centers to further improve the performance of the seedlings.

"This is to the credit of the Water and Forestry Department, which we strongly support. We will work with forestry research centers to shorten the vegetative cycle of quality plants," he announced.

Through these different experiences observed in Kédougou, the Minister of the Environment intends to encourage an approach combining ecosystem restoration, economic development, the fight against climate change and increased involvement of private actors in environmental preservation.