Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

The population of giraffes has increased from 49 in 1989 to 175 in 2007 [ ] 170 Local management structures for rural wood markets to prevent forest degradation In Niger, the biological diversity of forests is threatened by a number of menaces that include the expansion of extensive agriculture (progression of cultivated land), the overexploita- tion of natural resources through overgrazing, and excessive wood cutting, and the insufficient admin- istrative monitoring of rural wood markets which has led to the degra- dation of certain forest stands. With the establishment of local management structures (LSMs) for the rural wood markets however, partic- ipatory management has been able to stop the expansion of agricultural land. The case of the Baban Rafi forest in the Maradi Region is an example of the successful halting of forest regression. The historical progression of the forest clearly shows that heavy land pressures represent the most significant threat to the safeguard of the forest. Indeed, while it covered an area of 51,400ha in 1979, it decreased to just 40,606ha in 1991, a reduction of 21 per cent of surface area. This was mainly the result of agricultural clearance. The forest surface further decreased from 37,193ha in 1993 to 35,325ha in 1997, a reduction of over 14 per cent in just five years. Since the establishment of LSMs for the rural wood markets in the Baban Rafi forest in 1997, the progression of agricultural land has almost been stopped. In 2003, in the context of the revision process of the land use plan, its surface was estimated to be 35,540ha. In 2012, the invento- ry work carried out by the Maradi Regional Directorate of the Envi- ronment in the forest demonstrated that the expansion of agricultural land had been stabilised from 2003 to 2012. The forest cover in 2012 (35,540ha) was the same as in 2003. The participatory management of the rural wood markets has also pro- vided increased collective revenues to the local populations. The implemen- tation of components concerning the reform and land planning of forest ecosystems and the establishment of rural wood markets is thus one of the principal novelties in the participa- tory approach to the forest stands and the creation of revenues at local level. The case of the Baban Rafi forest demonstrates the overall success of the participatory management of forest resources in the area. S ituated in West Africa, Niger is a landlocked country that covers 1,267,000 km2. Much of the country is composed of desert: the natural landscape stretches from the Saharan zone in the north to the Sahelian prairies, and ends with a thin strip of forested land in the south of the country. The territory is generally quite flat, with low-lying plateaus and plains, and some higher plateaus of up to 2,000m of altitude in the north. Niger has a total of 2,761 species of plant and 3,200 of animal. To protect its biodiversity, the country has established seven protected areas for wildlife, covering 14.29 per cent of national territory. It also possesses 84 classified natural forests. Sand dune near Niamey, Niger Tromat Niger