The wilderness site of the Tanbi Wetland Complex lies on the southern channel at the mouth of the
Gambia River. It covers an area of about 6,000 ha, of which mangroves make up 4,800 ha, located to the west and south-west of Banjul. The northernmost portion of the complex skirts the Kankujeri Road and includes Cape Creek. It encompasses the western shores of St Mary Island and extends to the south-east towards Lamin and Mandinari Village. It was declared a
Ramsar site in February 2007.
Flora and habitat Eighty per cent of the Tanbi Wetland Complex is composed of
mangrove forest which is made up of several species of
mangroves, including
Avicennia africana,
Conocarpus erectus,
Laguncularia racemosa,
Annona glabra and
Rhizophora spp., with the occasional
baobab and
Borassus aethiopum palm standing on the drier ground. The vegetation gradually changes to the west and south into bare flats,
saltmarsh and dry woodland, with agricultural land encroaching around the fringes of the complex. There is a latticework of tidal creeks, known to locals as
bolongs, as well as tidal lagoons and estuarial saline mudflats.
Fauna The complex is home to small monkeys, including troops of the
western red colobus. Other mammals recorded include the
West African manatee,
marsh mongoose and
African clawless otter. There are
West African crocodiles as well as various snakes and lizards. It is an important breeding area for the shrimp
Farfantepenaeus notialis.
Human activities The main human activities in and around the complex are shrimp fishing, market gardening and the cultivation of rice. During the dry season, a small number of women from the
Jola forage for, roast and sell oysters which they harvest from the mangroves; the oysters are cooked with firewood collected at the same time. ==Climate change==