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A man baths in the Casamance River. Drought caused by climate change has transformed the ecosystem into an inversed estuary, of which few exist in the world. When there are abundant rains, fresh water flushes the salt out of the waterways, but with the prolonged drought, inland salt levels have become more concentrated than at the mouth of the rivers where they reach the sea. The increased salinization of the ecosystem has degraded large swaths of West African mangrove forests with devastating consequences on fish stocks, wildlife and the livelihoods of local inhabitants. Bambaly, Senegal. 12/11/2014.
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Photo © J.B. Russell
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Climate Change and West Africa Biodiversity
A man baths in the Casamance River. Drought caused by climate change has transformed the ecosystem into an inversed estuary, of which few exist in the world. When there are abundant rains, fresh water flushes the salt out of the waterways, but with the prolonged drought, inland salt levels have become more concentrated than at the mouth of the rivers where they reach the sea. The increased salinization of the ecosystem has degraded large swaths of West African mangrove forests with devastating consequences on fish stocks, wildlife and the livelihoods of local inhabitants. Bambaly, Senegal. 12/11/2014.