In conversation with the captain Seynabou Diop Fall

Captain Seynabou Diop Fall, head of the Keur Massar sector of the Directorate of Water, Forests, Hunting, and Soil Conservation at the Senegal Ministry of Environment, watches attentively as a group of young people carefully water small sprouts emerging from the sand. The sun is blazing, and any bit of shade is a small paradise. In the dunes of Malika, squeezed between the ocean and a highway, life is being revived today thanks to the immense reforestation and conservation efforts undertaken in recent years. Captain Fall, whose connection to nature dates to her childhood in Kedougou, brings her passion and knowledge to save this ecosystem, which plays a crucial role in the area's natural balance. Captain Diop Fall highlights the role of casuarinas (or Australian beefwood), a species native to Australia, in stabilizing the sand, combating floods, and preventing coastal erosion.

 

We are in the Niayes region, which has always had significant horticultural production essential to the local population. This coastal strip had mobile dunes, as large as mountains, which inundated gardens and houses with sand. It was necessary to quickly find a solution, and casuarinas were chosen because they grow rapidly and are well adapted to marine environments and salinity. Initially, it was about protecting the horticultural area and the population from advancing sand. Later, it was also found that they help maintain the coastline and combat coastal erosion and sea encroachment.

 

The first reforest actions date back to 1948, before Senegal's independence, and they continued afterward. The reforested area stretches from Dakar to Saint Louis, and it was a massive project with plantations up to 300 meters wide. Today, we see remnants, but it was a successful reforestation project that significantly helped combat erosion and maintain the coastline.

 

They were not chosen at random. Historical documents show that many species were tested to find the best fit for the environment. Initially, tests were done with native species like Acacia senegal and Prosopis juliflora. Unfortunately, these species had slow growth or were not well adapted to the coastal environment. However, the Australian pine or Casuarina equisetifolia, introduced to Senegal from Australia, grew extraordinarily fast. For dunes that kept moving, it was the perfect species, well-suited to salinity.

 

When the reforestation project started, the Dakar region was much less populated than it is today. It’s clear that more space is needed for the population to settle in habitable areas, but this needs to be done carefully. The casuarina band is under threat due to the increasing demand for land. The forestry service has long struggled against illegal occupations and sand extraction, which is used for construction, a very dangerous activity that exacerbates coastal erosion. Both activities are prohibited by the Forestry Code, which includes severe penalties, including imprisonment, but pressure on this land remains high.

 

A pre-independence decree established the protection of 681 hectares of the Malika perimeter. Currently, part of it remains protected, while another part has been declassified due to the need for land. The Keur Massar department is young and needs infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and administrative services. The local population requested this declassification to access new space. In my view, this must be done thoughtfully, balancing the protection of the casuarina strip with the needs of the population. It is not helpful to protect a place if its inhabitants do not share this vision, that’s why awareness-raising is also necessary. Urban planners, hydraulic engineers, and forestry experts all need to sit down and find a compromise between this green area, which plays an extraordinary role in dune stabilization, crop protection, and flood prevention, and the needs of the population. Preserving it has beneficial effects.

 

In this area, the water table is very close to the surface, so it is important to drain excess water. Intensive construction has made the soil less able to absorb water, so drainage is needed. We have three natural drainage zones: the Wouy, Warouwaye, and Mbeubeusse lakes. Causuarinas help maintain this balance by acting as natural umps, extracting excess water for their growth. This is a balanced system, thanks to the casuarinas, which act as a natural pump, extracting excess water needed for their life cycle. Without these trees, all the excess water that evaporates today would accumulate and worsen flooding.

 

Comparing areas with trees to those without shows the difference in sea advance. This is something we need to continue researching, but I personally believe that casuarinas have a beneficial effect on coastal conservation.

 

Those who know me were aware that I would end up working in something related to the environment, livestock, or veterinary work. I spent my entire childhood in the forested area of Kedougou, where the last wild chimpanzees of Senegal live. I grew up in the countryside, surrounded by animals, a conducive environment for developing an environmental sensitivity. This had an impact on how I see things and live. My first pet was a chimpanzee named Koumba, an orphaned baby abandoned and brought home by my father. My vocation to find a balance between animals and humans comes from that time.

 

The idea that we are here to protect the coastal dunes and casuarinas, but indeed, we are protecting the population. This is a complex and interconnected system involving trees, animals, and humans. Any imbalance among these elements can lead us to problems in the near future.