Oct. 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Biden Administration has signed an agreement with the Government of Gambia for the construction of a US embassy in a park that houses red colobus monkeys, animals in danger of extinction, a measure that environmental organizations have protested.
The ten-hectare property, according to the Gambian Government, was chosen after a lengthy selection process and is an extension currently occupied by the West African Livestock Innovation Center (WALIC), formerly the International Trypanotloerance Center (ITC).
“The Government wants to ensure that, over the course of this exercise, the Bijilo Forest Park will not be affected. A team of technical experts from the United States, including environmental experts, will work with Gambian experts over the next few years to ensure that all environmental and other concerns are adequately addressed,” he said, according to The Point news portal on Friday.
The land is within the Bijilo Nature Trail and Forest Park, also known as Monkey Park because it is home to several species of primates, according to the Gambia Environmental Alliance and Sustainability Alliance-Gambia, which has condemned the decision.
“This move to carve up any part of the land in the monkey park is a direct affront to our effort to protect our remaining natural resources and put the lives of our endangered (and) species under grave threat.” , has expressed GEA, one of the environmental groups, as collected by Bloomberg.
