Environmental issues in Senegal

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Senegal faces a range of environmental problems that affect people, wildlife, and the coast.

What’s threatening the environment
- Wildlife and forests are shrinking: poaching, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, desertification, and overfishing are all hurting living things and habitats.
- The sea and coast are at risk: overfishing and damage to mangroves threaten marine life and coastlines.
- Land is being degraded: many areas have degraded soils and less productive land.

Climate change and its effects
- Temperatures are rising: by mid-century, average temperatures could be 1.5 to 4°C higher.
- Rainfall patterns are changing: overall less rain with more extreme storms in the Sahel.
- The sea is rising faster: coastal areas face more erosion and damage.
- Farming is at risk: more droughts threaten crops and jobs, since more than 70% of people work in agriculture.
- Coastal communities may need to move: sea level rise could affect homes and infrastructure.

What Senegal is doing to adapt
- National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) was submitted in 2006, focusing on water, farming, and coastal zones.
- Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) released in 2015 show climate change as a national priority.

Deforestation, forests, and land use
- Charcoal production and the push to expand farming have reduced forests.
- In 2006, about 45% of land was forested, with 18.4% as primary forest.
- By 2007, about 350,000 hectares of forest were being lost each year to slash-and-burn farming.
- Around 13% of land is degraded, affecting about 22% of the population.

Forest health and mangroves
- In 2018, Senegal scored 7.11 out of 10 on the Forest Landscape Integrity Index, ranking 56th globally.
- Casamance forest cover was at risk of vanishing due to illegal logging.
- Mangroves have declined by about 25% since the 1970s, though efforts like replanting by Oceanium are helping.
- The national Forest Service aims to decentralize forest management, but some analyses show inequalities favoring commercial interests.

Fisheries and oceans
- Local and foreign fleets are catching too many fish, affecting stocks and food security.
- In Saint-Louis, 2017 harvests fell sharply, impacting nutrition and the availability of animal protein.
- White grouper stocks in Senegal’s waters have collapsed.

Bottom line
Climate change and human activity are putting Senegal’s environment, farming, and coastal communities at risk. Stronger conservation, better forest management, and effective adaptation policies are needed to protect livelihoods and natural resources.