Baobab sur mer

This is one of the ancient baobabs just around the corner from where I was staying and strangely isolated on a sand bank in the middle of the tidal Saloum Delta. The baobabs are one of the few trees left of what used to be a huge area of forest between Foundiougne and Kaolak. The area has been stripped almost bare for firewood and for planting the groundnuts (Arachides)which strip the soil of nutrients. With a decrease in levels of rainfall in recent years and the high tides that flood the delta sand flats, ground water is becoming increasingly saline putting even these ancient and respected trees at risk.