Natural resources management : regeneration of bourgoutières in the bend of the Niger in Mali

Abstract

Since the early 1970s, the desertification process in the bend of the Niger river in Mali has progressed rapidly. The once abundant natural flood-plain grassland of bourgou virtually disappeared between 1970 and 1985 in the Timbuktoo region. The article describes the efforts of the local population and Vétérinaires Sans Frontières to stop the degradation of bourgoutières. While presenting the technical, organisational and economic aspects of the “bourgou program”, the author also analyses program results and lessons learned that led to the regeneration of over 2,000 hectares of bourgou pastures. A fragile ecological balance has been reached that could be broken by a renewed dry period. Livestock activities are perceived as an additional factor in the desertification process rather than a primary cause. The regeneration of bourgoutières has had significant effects on land-use systems. Bourgou pastures are now divided into separate plots where responsibility for their maintenance lies with an individual within the framework of collective land-use rules. The author suggests that the instruments necessary for the resolution of natural resource management conflicts and the defense of those involved in regeneration activities are not yet in place.