The Wildlife Act of 1977 and the Biodiversity /Wildlife Act 2003 established the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management (DWPM), instituting the department as the chief agency responsible for the “conservation, management and development” of The Gambia's wildlife resources (GEF 2002). It is also the lead government institution responsible for implementing several international treaties and agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar), the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species (Bonn Convention), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), among others agreements.