Transhumance and protected areas in West Africa: State of play and Management mechanisms review

Abstract

Protected areas are increasingly frequented by transhumant cattle herds. This phenomenon has grown in recent decades in West Africa. In order to make a state of play of the use of areas protected by cattle herds, through its history, the causes of their presence and the consequences on natural resources and propose mechanisms for managing transhumance in protected areas, a bibliographical review of scientific work carried out in this direction has been made. It shows that the search for pastoral resources during the drought has been the basis for the entry of transhumant herders into these protected areas. From an ecological point of view, the debate is between those who claim that livestock is in direct competition with wildlife for access to forage resources and those suggesting that livestock and wildlife interact through a complex combination of competition / facilitation depending on the season and abundance of resources. The mode of management of transhumance in West African forests depends on the category of protected areas. Some protected areas have opted for strict management and others for concerted management. This is the case for Park W, which, through the regional project (ECOPAS) has developed a common strategy for the management of transhumance in this protected area. Despite these various proposals, the protected areas of West Africa continue to suffer pastoral pressure. It is then necessary to propose a sustainable management mode which will make it possible to make judicious use of the pastoral resources of these protected areas without compromising their biodiversity.