Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Since 2012, marine protected areas increased from five sites to 11, and over 60,0000 ha of mangroves were reforested. In April 2018, elephant were observed in Niokolo-koba National Park [ ] 198 The Popenguine Natural Reserve: a successful case of biodiversity restoration In the past decades, the state of Sen- egal has undertaken multiple actions for the restoration and conservation of the components of biological diversity. The Popenguine Natural Reserve constitutes a particularly successful case of biodiversity resto- ration involving community-based conservation. The reserve, created in 1986, is located in the south-western part of the Thies region. It covers an area of 1,009ha, and is part of the larger Popenguine Classified Forest. Restoration activities in the reserve have been led by the Collective of Economic Interest Groups of Women for the Protection of Nature and Sus- tainable Development (COPRONAT), under the supervision of the Direc- tion of the National Parks (DPN). The reserve benefits from special status among other protected areas in the country in that it is jointly managed by the Direction of Nation- al Parks and the local population assembled within an association, en- abling a successful community-based conservation approach. A recent study, Niemet-Gampika, 2013, analyzing the land-use dy- namics revealed significant positive changes in the Popenguine Natural Reserve after three decades. In 1984, before its establishment as a Natural Reserve, the entire protected area was dominated by bare soil. From 1986 onwards, the proportion of bare soil has been steadily decreasing, and plant formations have increased. This recolonization of the plateaus by vegetation results from the efforts on biodiversity conservation and restoration undertaken by the local population, which notably translated into the implementation of restriction from certain areas, Assisted Natural Regeneration (RNA), and reforest- ation. The combination of these activities transformed the landscape over time from bare plateaus to shrub savannas and thickets. The most characteristic species in the area are thorn bushes, especially the acacia Senegal and the acacia raddiana. L ocated at the far west of the African continent, Senegal covers an area of 196,712 km² with a 700 km-long coastline that runs along the Atlantic Ocean. It features three main phytogeographical regions: Sahelian, Sudanese and Guinean, represented mainly by steppes, savannas and forests. The country is subdivided into six ecogeographical zones: the valley of the Senegal River, the silvo-pastoral zone of Ferlo, the Niayes zone, the peanut basin, Casamance, and the eastern Senegal area. This provides the country with a rich variety of ecosystems and species. In order to ensure the protection of biodiversity, many protected areas have been set up including six national parks, four fauna reserves and three special reserves, seven marine protected areas, 213 classified forests, 22 community natural reserves, 27 pastoral units and several community forests. A few of these protected areas have been classified as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and RAMSAR sites. Oryx algazelle at Guembeul Fauna Reserve A. Diop Senegal