The Earth Institute at Columbia University

Migratory pastoralism is one of the dominant forms of traditional resource use in Sub-Saharan Africa. Pastoralists move their herds over large distances over the course of each year, responding to fluctuations between the rainy and dry seasons which characterize the region. This system has over the centuries created a human engineered semi-arid grassland, which has been maintained by migratory grazing and the use of fire to control scrub growth.

A key issue to the survival of the pastoralist way of life and the ecosystems which depend upon it is the increasing fragmentation of the region, which threatens to seriously restrict pastoralists' ability to move their herds in response to changes in rainfall. One cause for this fragmentation is the existence of post-colonial national boundaries cutting arbitrarily across pastoralists' traditional migration routes. While these need not prevent free movement, there is concern that central governments may increasingly feel the need to control their borders more effectively, thus seriously threatening the survival not only of the pastoralist but also of the landscape itself. Other aggravating factors in the situation include the general environmental fragility of the region combined with increasingly intensive and extensive sedentary agriculture as well as growing population pressures. The result has been a growing number of conflicts over resource use between pastoralists and other populations, as well as an aggravation of the effects of grazing on a landscape already badly compromised by recent severe droughts.

One focal point for these conflicts is the region surrounding the "W" National Park in Niger. The "W" is a strictly protected area on the border between Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin. The latter two countries also have established protected areas in the region, and efforts are currently underway to create a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve encompassing the entire region. This presents an important opportunity to create a trnasboundary area of traditional land use, which would protect pastoralists as well as the environment by allowing their free movement across national boundaries. While there is a recognition in some quarters that this would be desirable, it is not yet clear whether or not this is indeed the intent of the three national governments involved, particularly since they must be expected to give weight to national security issues which might seem to indicate a need for an exclusion zone between the three countries instead of an area of free movement.

The "W" Case Study will examine these issues, focusing on the efforts currently underway in Benin to improve communication between the central government, pastoralists, and sedentary agriculturalists in the region. The case study will address the environmental, social and political factors to be considered in establishing a new Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. It will in particular seek to answer the following two questions:

What are the environmental and social implications of the exclusion of pastoralists from protected areas and the disruption of their migratory patterns?
How might a "W" Transboundary Biosphere Reserve be established in order to promote a wise use of resources by protecting the traditional interaction between people and nature in the region?

Multi-Stakeholder Workshops

There are no workshops planned for this case study, however the case study author will conduct a series of field consultations with representatives of pastoralist groups throughout northern Benin.

Collaborators and Institutional Affiliates

The "W" Case Study is being prepared by Mr. Bonaventure Guedegbe, Director of Beninois Biosphere Reserves for the Benin Ministry of Environment. The Case Study will be prepared in close consultation with the UNESCO Ecological Sciences Division and the Centre Intergouvernemental pour la Lutte Contre le Desertification dans la Region du Sahel (CILS).

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