In Senegal, a cultural ethos of community, respect and hospitality known as ‘Teranga’ is inspiring a new wave of community-led conservation in the Saloum Delta.
“Tres jolie!” Ismail Adiame said happily as he piloted the long wooden Pirogue along the baobab-lined banks of the Saloum River. “Beaucoup d’oiseuax.”
Ismail, who was intermittently bailing murky water out of the back of his fishing boat, pointed up into the trees, where Little Egrets, Herons, yellow Weavers and the odd Kingfisher were perched on branches, rustling around in the foliage as the sun slowly sank behind thick mangroves in the Sine-Saloum Delta.
A fisherman by trade, Ismail leads boat tours of Senegal’s remarkably biodiverse wetlands from his hometown of Toubacouta. He was in his element, and in a mixture of French, English and Wolof he called out in soft whispers the names of birds that were a flurry of activity in the West African dusk.
A vast area of wetlands and mangroves on Senegal’s Atlantic coastline, the Sine-Saloum Delta is a fragile, but vital ecosystem at the heart of the nation’s fledgling ecotourism industry. Now, locals like Adiame are embracing the ancient Senegalese concept of Teranga – a vision of hospitality, community and respect – to underpin their efforts to protect, preserve and rewild these wetland landscapes.
The Sine-Saloum Delta
I was in Toubacouta, where a smattering of dusty roads, ecolodges and homestays form the gateway to Senegal’s Sine-Saloum Delta. Covering an extensive area of some 180,000 hectares at the confluences of the Sine and Saloum Rivers, around 100 kilometres south of Dakar, this wetland ecosystem has long been a haven, not only for wildlife but for Senegal’s diverse communities, including the Fulani, Mandik and Serrer people.
Dotted by ancient mounds built up over thousands of years from the discarded shells of molluscs, waterways weave their way through a dense delta of over 200 islands and islets overshadowed by centuries-old baobab trees and lined by rich mangroves that protect against the tide’s erosion. Crocodiles, dolphins and manatees inhabit the waters, migratory birds flock here in winter and the trees reverberate with the sounds of monkeys.
Although the Sine-Saloum Delta has been protected as a national park since 1981, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, Wetlands International also cites that since 1950, the Saloum Delta’s tropical mangroves have been reduced by some 30%. Overfishing, climate change, deforestation and human population growth all threaten this wetland ecosystem, at a pivotal time when Senegal is balancing the growing demands of its tourism industry with the needs of its delicate environment.
“The Saloum Delta is magnificent. There are beaches, mangroves, wetlands, islands and forest.”
Martha Diouf.
Earlier that day, I’d visited the ‘Interpretation Centre of the Saloum Delta’, a UNESCO funded museum in the middle of Toubacouta. Information boards described the biodiversity of the region, while Martha Diouf, the museum’s resident guide, explained how Toubacouta is attempting to create this delicate balance between conservation and tourism.
“The Saloum Delta is magnificent,” she told me, as she showed me through the interpretation centre, which showcases the human as well as the environmental biodiversity of the region. “There are beaches, mangroves, wetlands, islands and forest. UNESCO is helping to protect the Delta, and now people can’t just build anywhere. There are fishing quotas, mollusc quotas and more in place.”
Human management of the wetlands goes back centuries. The ancient shell mounds here speak of the long history of collecting molluscs, which are typically harvested from mangroves. “People here have long understood the importance of the mangroves,” she told me. “They help protect against erosion and they’re safe breeding grounds for fish. There are traditional laws against cutting down the mangroves to harvest oysters. You’re not allowed to cut them, only to remove the oysters them carefully.”
The human history of the Saloum Delta is as rich as its natural history. “It’s a UNESCO site, not just for the nature,” Martha said as she showed me traditional Mandik drums that were used to communicate between islands. “Nature is just one element, there’s an incredible heritage of local arts, crafts and traditions here.”
Read more: 15 Best Places to Visit in Senegal
Teranga in the Saloum Delta
Senegalese society has long been guided by a concept known as ‘Teranga’. Often translated into English as ‘hospitality’, Teranga also encompasses virtues like respect and community, and ensures that travellers receive a warm welcome in Senegal. Martha explained how these values underscore the efforts of Toubacouta’s locals to protect and preserve not only their culture, but the environment around them too.
The baobab trees, some of which can be 20 metres tall and live for hundreds of years, have long been seen as sacred, for example, while traditional laws have managed fish and mollusc stocks, as Martha had already told me. Teranga provides an emphasis for the Sine-Saloum Delta to be protected, and preserved, as much as it provides a code of hospitality. Without the mangroves and the wetlands, tourism would drop off, agriculture and fishing would decline, and people would struggle to survive. The hospitality shown to tourists, extends to the environment too.
Toubacouta’s ecotourism industry is heeding warnings of environmental disaster seriously, and opposite the Interpretation Centre, a climate change conference was taking place the day I visited, discussing the region’s water resource management and burgeoning pressure on the coastal environment from rising sea levels.
It’s a vital discussion, especially given that Souleymane Ndiaye, Director General of the Company for the Promotion of Coasts and Tourist Zones of Senegal (SAPCO) recently told African Business that growing the tourism industry is ‘at the heart’ of the country’s economic development plan. There are plans to develop at least six new ‘Tourist Zones’ by 2035, while also improving and upgrading existing tourist destinations, including the Saloum Delta.
But while new luxury resorts – like the five-star Rui Baobab at Pointe-Sareene on the northern edge of the Sine-Saloum Delta – are opening along the popular coastal strips to the south of Dakar as part of the government’s big vision, villages like Toubacouta are taking a more grassroots approach to tourism.
Read more: 14 Best Things to Do in Dakar, Senegal
Conservation and community-based tourism in Toubacouta
Back on the river, Ismail recounted his story as we drifted past mangroves, where crocs lurked unseen amongst dense branches, and pelicans fished in the dwindling light.
“I’m a professional fisherman,” he said, as we passed ‘Shell Island’, one of the many mounds formed over centuries when mollusc shells have been thrown into what are, effectively, rubbish heaps. “But I’m also a tour guide, a professional dancer and now a singing instructor!”
Ismail has spent much of his life fishing on the Saloum River, but the growth of Toubacouta’s tourism industry has allowed him to supplement this income in other ways. He can spend less time fishing, thereby protecting the local fish stocks, while making money leading boat tours like this, and by leading music and dance masterclasses showcasing his culture to visitors.
As a flock of flamingoes danced on the river, Ismail broke into a traditional song, but he didn’t want to rock the boat too much with his own dance moves. He stopped singing as we floated past the ‘Island of Birds’, where instead, hundreds of birds filled a baobab tree with song. Then, around another bend in the river, it was peaceful, quiet, almost serene.
“I’m a professional fisherman. But I’m also a tour guide, a professional dancer and now a singing instructor!”
Ismail Adiame.
It was getting dark as Ismail piloted the Pirogue, the same boat he fishes in, back to Toubacouta’s jetty. We passed several developments along the river, but for the most part, the hotels and tours here are largely community-based. The bungalow I stayed in was run by a local family, who cooked me up fresh fish for dinner every night, while many more locals are finding work, like Ismail, as guides.
Community conservation projects in Toubacouta have also allowed for large tracts of forest protected for the future. The Sangako Community Forest is owned and managed by the village, providing new opportunities for tourists to experience the unique nature of the Sine-Saloum Delta while protecting the environment and creating work for locals.
A vast area of the Sine-Saloum Delta to the south of Toubacouta has also been turned over to a rewilding project on the scale of a Senegalese Jurassic Park. 200 years ago, Senegal was home to an abundance of large African animals like giraffes, zebras, rhinos, lions and buffalo, but many species disappeared. Owned by the Senegalese people but leased out as a wildlife reserve, over the past decade Fathala Wildlife Reserve has become a conservation success story, with the reintroduction of dwindling species like the Giant Eland.
Toubacouta’s fledgling tourism industry is developing with the ancient concept of Teranga at its core, as communities in the Sine-Saloum Delta protect their cultural heritage as well as the nature that surrounds them. The only question is, can Toubacouta keep up its grass roots initiatives, as Senegal’s tourism industry continues to expand?
Read more: Where is Senegal? Everything You Need to Know.
How to visit Toubacouta
Toubacouta is located off highway N5, a minimum four hour drive south of Dakar. I caught the Dem Dikk bus from Dakar to Kaolack, and then changed to a shared taxi (known locally as a ‘Sept-Plus’) to Toubacouta. The entire journey took the best part of the day on public transport.
You can book homestays and hotels online. My homestay organised the boat tour with Ismail, which cost 30,000 CFA (approx £38) for 2 people, for 2 hours. For more luxurious accommodation, you can explore the Sine-Saloum Delta from Fathala Wildlife Reserve, where luxury safari tents are available.
From Toubacouta, or Fathala Wildlife Reserve, you can organise a driver to take you to the Gambian border for onwards travel.
Read more: How to Travel From Senegal to The Gambia (Including Overland Border Crossings)
What do you think of Toubacouta’s community based tourism industry? Let me know in the comments below!
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