Dakar, the capital of Senegal, will have a second green lung. A 10-hectare forest park will be developed on part of the site of the former Dakar airport, known as Léopold Sédar Senghor airport.
The project is initiated by Head of State Macky Sall. “The park will be a relaxation area, consisting of woodland, bocage, marshes and playgrounds. It will also be a zone for the promotion of floristic biodiversity,” explains the Senegalese president.
The development of the forest area is part of an initiative previously launched in the country. Called “Green Senegal”, it aims to make the country greener by 2035 by creating, among other things, forest parks. Senegal in general, and Dakar in particular, have very little green space. Among them is the forest and zoological park of Hann. It is located about 6 km from Dakar. It covers a total area of 60 hectares, part of which houses the buildings of the forestry services.
For environmental activists in Senegal, the 10-hectare urban forest park to be created is “insignificant” for Dakar, which is suffocating under land pressure. Through a petition, these activists had instead asked the Senegalese government to transform the entire site of the former Léopold Sédar Senghor airport into a nature reserve area (with trees, flowers, a lake, animals, grass…). The government plans to build business centres for foreign clients on the remaining 590 hectares of the site of the former Léopold Sédar Senghor airport.
Inès Magoum