The islands of Kafountine, a natural coastal paradise in southern Senegal, are in serious danger of disappearing in a few years' time, swallowed up by rising sea levels. "The water is rising and threatening the village. The trees are dying. If this continues, we'll have no choice but to leave," says Louise Diatta, a villager. The 18 candidates running for president have largely ignored the country's pressing environmental situation. "Unfortunately, it has been taken into account in a very artificial way," says Aïssatou Diouf, head of advocacy at the NGO Enda Energie. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES