The women harvesting oysters – and guarding the mangroves

In the cool air of an April dawn, Marie Sambou, an oyster harvester, carves through the brown water of the Gambia River’s Tanbi wetland in her wooden canoe. The mangroves provide an important habitat for many birds and fish, which nest, breed and spawn in the pro tective, nutrient-rich environment.

For the next six hours or so, while the tide remains low enough to work, Sambou will paddle along the forests on the riverbank,) from the exposed mangrove roots. It is tedious, physical work – and painful. Sambou has only thin gloves and socks for protection; her hands and feet are scarred from the razor-edged oyster shells.