Readers who wish to go further in the proposed analysis, add ideas or share their point of view on the subjects addressed in the se studies are strongly encouraged to do so by posting their comments on the relevant forum. |
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STUDY N°1
West Africa Community areas:
how do they contribute to conservation?
West Africa Community protected areas are at the heart of the present study. If many documents exist on community areas in America, Asia or in Eastern or Southern Africa, there is much less writing on community areas in West Africa. Through a questionnaire specially designed for them, 23 community areas located in nine countries of the sub-region, of which one English-speaking country provide information on this form of governance...
Today, community-based protected areas create a special space where Nature and Men can live harmoniously. For many reasons, it is almost impossible in some territories to do conservation « without » involving populations (but this is not true everywhere). Therefore, it is necessary to set up management methods and use rights that give an important role to bordering protected areas populations whenever possible. Community areas must meet many challenges to be able to realize the goals of conservation, social development and culture conservation...
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STUDY N°2
Big game hunting in West Africa:
How does it contribute to conservation?
Today, big game hunting covers very large areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (about 1.4 million sq. km), and this represents more than the surface of all national parks of this region. Therefore, it is an important component of the rural landscapes organization in many countries of Sub-saharian Africa. This study aims at clarifying the role of big game hunting in Africa, and more specifically in West Africa. Analysis of the data collected during the study enabled us to understand the relevance of big game hunting according to the criteria of sustainable development: conservation, socio-economic development and good governance. As far as conservation is concerned, the results of big game hunting are irregular: there are hunting areas which are geographically stable and where wildlife populations are important, but this is not the case everywhere. There is a great disparity in terms of quality between areas. With an equal level of management, the conservation results in hunting areas are less important than those obtained in the neighbouring parks or reserves. Hunting areas are less able than parks to resist pressures coming from the periphery, and therefore play a less important role in conservation strategies. An undeniable positive point of the results obtained is that the conservation in hunting areas has been almost totally financed by hunters, without donors' support, and often without the government's commitment.
Hunting has played and is still playing a role of conservation in Africa. It is not sure that in the future, it will still play the same role under the same conditions. But on the other hand, it does not play a significant economic or social role and does not contribute to good governance...
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STUDY N°3
Sahelo-saharan large protected areas:
how do they contribute to conservation?
West Africa large protected areas which are located in dry areas generally have very large surface areas (1 500 000 ha minimum each) with a very low density of population. They can be divided into three groups: protected areas classified in the 50s-70s which have lost much of their first interest and which vocation is questioned today; the more recently classified protected areas where new mapping projects are in progress; and new protected areas which are being created.
These protected areas are characterized by common concerns and constraints: the will to conserve or reintroduce Saharan species, conserve original (or nearly original) ecosystems, but also the importance of poaching, the decrease of natural resources, pastoral pressure, increasing forest exploitation, increasing human pressure, etc. It is in this context that PAPACO decided to conduct this study in order to analyse the contribution of these large biodiversity conservation areas and, if need be, propose evolutions which will improve it as efficiently as possible.
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STUDY N°4
World Heritage in West Africa :
State and values of the label, a conservation priority ?
West Africa presents a very rich biodiversity, notably in its protected areas, the most outstanding of which are inscribed on UNESCO natural world heritage list. Named natural properties, they are nine in the region and located in five countries: Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire and Niger. This sample of protected areas is globally distributed in the West African large four ecological areas; however, there are probably other high potential sites which could be considered for a future inscription.
Most of these natural properties are not yet equipped with an appropriate management system which enables to conserve the outstanding universal values that led to their inscription on this prestigious list. Actually, these sites are characterized by a shortage of human and financial resources, combined with high pressures and threats that seriously jeopardize their future. Five of them are inscribed on the list of UNESCO endangered sites. The results of this study show that the situation is worrying and it is imperative to implement in these PAs a management system that will help improve the results, and consequently the effectiveness of conservation actions. Recommendations have been made to the World Heritage Committee, to State parties concerned by this study and to advisory organizations for a better protection of these sites which have an international statute.
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STUDY N°5
Analysis of the modes of management in a sample of 10 protected areas in Guinea : How do they contribute to conservation?
The February 2008 assessment of the whole protected areas' network in Guinea with the RAPPAM tool gave an overview of the PAs network management effectiveness and a certain number of recommendations had been made using this approach.
This assessment complements the first analysis and aims at focusing on a limited sample of PAs in order to identify their initial state and the conditions required to improve the modes of management of these sites. These PAs have been selected based on their capacity to make progress.
A detailed sheet which presents the management features for each PA studied is available in annex.
This study brings a new clarification on the relevance of the choice of these PAs which will constitute the national network. It highlights the weakness of the current conservation objectives set for each area, and for the network as a whole
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STUDY N°6
Tourism in West Africa protected areas :
How does it contribute to conservation ?
Africa is a vast reservoir of biodiversity where we found about one third of the world terrestrial biological diversity. Therefore, ecotourism can prove to be an important tool for conservation or development. Actually, tourism in Africa presents a considerable development potential, but it is very unequally distributed in the region. In addition, it is marginal compared to the other important European, American or Asian destinations: Africa receives only 4% of the world international arrivals, although it represents 22% of the earth surface and 15% of the world population.
In order to explain and understand these gaps, this study aims at analyzing ecotourism current situation in West African protected areas and proposing a strategy that would serve as a management model in accordance with the objectives of international conventions and sustainable development. The analysis of the data collected, on the one hand from a sample of 23 protected areas of the sub-region, and on the other hand from the bibliographical research, enabled to make an assessment of ecotourism state in West African protected areas and understand the impacts of ecotourism on the protected area and on the development of its periphery.
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STUDY N°7
Independant external assessment of the current and potential modes of management of Mali protected areas:
Proposals for their progress
Mali has a network of protected areas but it is feared that their future be jeopardized by the multiple pressures and threats on them. The will to sustainably conserve them seems to be lacking and this poses the issue of the management of common properties (including natural resources) dealt with in this study. A stake that should draw the attention of Mali nation as a whole. This study therefore makes an uncompromising assessment of the current situation and proposes ways to remedy whenever it is still possible. If the assessment is severe, it is in the aim to offer the possibility to make good decisions and change conservation policies at the highest level. This external analysis has not been approved by the Mali directorate in charge of protected areas. It is nevertheless an important working document for those who want to think the future of conservation over in this country, and they will draw subjects to fuel the debates and decisions.
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STUDY N°8
Assessment of legal and institutional framework of West African protected areas
This study analyzes the legal and institutional framework for protected areas in three countries in West Africa: Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Ghana. By highlighting the different types of management methods for PA in these countries, the study examines the following aspects: the different types of PAs, their territorial distribution, size, environmental challenges and which kind of biodiversity protection they deliver, the legal instruments that recognize the AP, the legal instruments already in place dealing with AP … The effectiveness of legal and institutional framework is outlined and suggestions for its improvement are made. The study identifies specific areas for each country that deserve to be treated separately, while some aspects seem to be common to all three countries, such as a low law enforcement and fragmentation of the legal framework on PA.
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STUDY N°9
Economic benefits of West Africa protected areas
The aim of protected areas management is to preserve the environment, namely the natural resources, biodiversity, landscape quality, etc.
These objectives concern economy and society at various levels:from the global level as far as the conservation of genetic heritage and carbon are concerned, to the local level for the supplying of bordering populations in food.
The establishment, and then the management and the extension of protected areas go through negotiation and dialogue between the actors in charge of nature conservation and their partners. One of this dialogue’s core themes is the nature of the economic relationships that bordering populations build with protected areas (Naidoo, 2008).
In this perspective, IUCN-PAPACO has wished to have a tool that will enable in principle to assess the nature and scope of the local economic benefits that a protected area is likely to generate for bordering populations in the West African sub-continent.
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STUDY N°10
Mining sector development in West Africa and its impact on the conservation sector
The main, if not the only industrial activity in West Africa liable to have a direct impact on protected areas is that of the extractive industries. To be able to fulfil their ecological role, protected areas are usually located far from built-up areas and therefore far from industrial areas. Only mines, due to local geological characteristics, are liable to set up in the vicinity of protected areas. In light of the current development of this sector, due in particular to the very high price of many metals, it was deemed important to take stock of the regulatory situation and to gather the necessary data to evaluate the environmental issues raised by this growth. Therefore, PAPACO led a study, financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), on the potential impact of the extractive industries in West Africa. Some elements of this study are presented here.
The interaction between the extractive industries sector and that of nature conservation are covered in this study from three different angles:
- The actual impact of mining activities (whether within or outside protected areas),
- Environmental management of these impacts through EIS,
- Implications of spatial proximity of extractive industries and protected areas for nature conservation: regulatory approach and mapping approach.
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STUDY « climate change and protected areas
Current state of research and understanding of the links between climate change, protected areas and communities
Protected areas play an important role in maintaining the ecological ecosystems they host, in particular the ecological balance of animal and plant species' biodiversity. The good running of a protected area widely depends on climatic and meteorological events, cyclic or not, which affect it. However, the occurrence of these modifications has undergone over the past years visible disturbances which have impacted species and their habitat. The species which cannot adapt to such disturbances disappear, their range and distribution area are modified, as well as their migration corridors; concerning their habitat, we observe a modification of protected areas vegetal composition, a fragmentation of habitats under the possible (and almost established) effect of climate change. Populations are not spared since they are an integrated element for maintaining today's ecological systems balance; they therefore also undergo the harmful effects of climate variability or change at all levels.
Face to these observations and this alarming situation, the international community of researchers, managers and conservators is thinking options over to mitigate the possible effects of climate change on biodiversity and try to propose adaptation measures.
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STUDY «climate change and protected areas »
State of political instruments, institutional capacities and the level of awareness regarding the links between climate change and protected areas
This study covers document review and analysis of the state of political instruments, institutional capacities and level of awareness regarding climate change and protected areas in West Africa, particularly in the following countries: The Gambia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Chad and Togo. It is based on consultation between the main actors.
This assessment has revealed assets, but also weaknesses of legal, systemic and institutional order. To these, we can add the discontinuity of conventions' implementation process, the weak level of actors' awareness, particularly the public, on the issue of climate change in relation with protected areas, the inconsistency of the institutional framework for CCNUCC implementation and the absence of an effective data collection system. These insufficiencies are not likely to enable each country to effectively face the risks related to climate change.
This is why recommendations have been formulated in view of reducing the negative impacts of climate change on protected areas and reversing the current trend of deterioration of these areas.
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STUDY
Improving conservation of protected areas in Africa …
summary of the meeting in Weotenga (0ctober, 2011)
In October 2011, at a time when protected areas in Africa are subject to ever increasing pressure, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) organised the Weotenga Meeting in Burkina Faso to discuss the issues facing conservation on the continent, assess what works and what does not, identify potential areas for progress, promote new solutions, discuss new partnerships and finally invent a new future for these areas. |
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