The Select Committee on Environment has stated that illegal fishing, pollution, poaching, and mangrove destruction continue to threaten protected ecosystems.
The committee highlighted this in its report on the Performance Audit Report on the Management of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas.
The report was tabled on Thursday, 10th September 2026, by the Chairperson of the Environment Committee, Hon. Yaya Gassama.
The review reveals that despite established conservation targets and institutional mandates, significant policy, operational, and financial deficits continue to compromise protected area management.
The Committee reviewed the Performance Audit Report on the Management of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas to assess how effectively national policies, institutional structures, and financial allocations safeguard the country’s marine ecosystems.
Tabling the report, Hon. Gassama said that the evaluation is critical not only for biodiversity, food security, and climate resilience, but also for evaluating progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.5, which mandates the conservation of at least 10 percent of coastal and marine environments.
“While official records claim a 9.25 percent conservation achievement, this figure lacks transparent methodology or scientific backing,” he said.
He stated that without a standardized national reporting framework, it remains difficult to verify progress, track ecological changes over time, or ensure alignment with international sustainability standards.
“A major driver of these conservation failures is institutional fragmentation,” he said.
He also cited those conflicting mandates among the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Lands, and the Ministry of Agriculture have created significant administrative friction.
Coupled with the absence of a comprehensive national land-use policy, he said the lack of coordination has enabled illegal encroachments and incompatible infrastructure such as dry ports and fuel stations to develop within protected boundaries.
“Compounding these policy gaps are severe capacity and financial constraints. The primary governing department lacks a functional monitoring and evaluation system, leaving park rangers under-equipped without basic protective gear, surveillance tools, or field logistics,” said Hon. Gassama.
Financially, he said the Biodiversity Trust Fund remains underutilized, donor funding via the Global Environment Facility (GEF) lacks strong accountability mechanisms, and only four of the sixteen designated sites generate revenue through gate fees.
Key Findings from the Performance Audit
The key findings reported in the performance audit report include increasing illegal activities, which the committee highlighted by stating that “illegal fishing, pollution, poaching, and mangrove destruction continue to threaten protected ecosystems.”
The committee said, “Weak enforcement capacity and inadequate community engagement have contributed to environmental degradation.”
Another issue raised is policy incoherence. The committee reported that “conflicting mandates exist between the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR), the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Lands, and the Ministry of Agriculture.”
The committee stressed that the absence of a comprehensive national land‑use policy has contributed to encroachments within protected areas, including the development of fuel stations and dry port infrastructure.
Recommendations
The committee recommended the development of a comprehensive national land-use policy to prevent encroachment into protected areas.
It also recommended that the Ministry strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems to track ecological and operational performance of protected areas.
Members, during the debate, hailed the committee for the report and added their voices in support of stricter measures to ensure that the issues of illegal fishing and mangrove destruction are addressed.
Subsequently, the report of the Environment Committee on the Performance Audit Report was adopted.
