A SOLID EXPERIENCE IN COMBATING DESERTIFICATION

MAURITANIA

Presented by: Fall Alioun and Dr Ahmedou Soulé

3rd Africa-Asia Drought Adaptation Forum

14-20 August 2013, Urumqi

AGENDA: 1. Mauritania: Presentation 2. Climate, Drought and desertification process 3. Bio-physical and socio-economics impacts 4. Strategy and Action Plans 5. Techniques to combat desertification 6. Case study: PSPVN

Area : 1.035.000 KM2

Population : Environ 3.000.000 inhabitants

Growth rate : 2,4% ; Density : 2,5%

Nouakchott, the capital city alone, on the Atlantic coastline, accounts for about 22% of the country’s entire population.

Mauritania is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of desertification. This phenomenon is induced by winds persistent activity that sweeps the country throughout the year. These air masses are made up of 3 main currents : marine trade wind, continental trade wind, and the summer monsoon. The precipitation bearing air masses are the marine trade wind and the monsoon.

Presentation of

MAURITANIA

- Southern region: Wet tropical

zone of Sahel Sudanese type with

>400mm/year

- Northern region: arid zone of

Saharan type, dry and hot with low

precipitation: 200<p<400mm per

year

- The Western littoral zone is a tiny

cross ecosystem with a strong

marine influence

Climate

Deterioration of the Ecosystem

Drastic changes in the lifestyle and process of pauperisation of rural communities

• Soil degradation : sand encroachment

• Reduced drinking water supply

• Poor soil

• Reduction of the livestock

• Loss in biodiversity

•Drop in income

•Rural exodus, etc.

THE IMPACTS

•More pressure on natural resources for livelihood

The Mauritanian Government decided to incorporate desertification control into an overall process of sustainable development strategy, encompassing technical, socioeconomic, juridical and institutional factors. A decision that led to:

• Formulation of a desertification control Master Plan

• Formulation multi sectorial desertification control program (Schema Director)

• Formulation of a National Action Plan to combat desertification ¨(PAN/LCD)

• Formulation of a National Action Plan for Environment Protection (PANE)

Within this framework, national-level programs and projects have been implemented with the support of the development partners in order to foster conservation and agro-sylvo-pastoral development and to combat sand encroachment. These programs and projects include:

• The Nouakchott Green Belt Project supported by the Lutheran World Federation(LWF);

• The sand Dune Stabilization and fixation project supported by UN Development Program (UNDP), the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the United Nations Sudano-Sahelian Office (UNSO)

• The sand encroachment control and Agro-sylvo-pastoral Development project (PLEMVASP), also supported by UNDP, DANIDA and UNSO;

• The oasis Development project financed by IFAD and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social

Development (AFESD);

• The Kaédi Green Belt Project financed by the European Union

• The integrated Natural Resources Management in East Mauritania project by the German Agency for

Technical Cooperation (GTZ)

Mauritania’s response to desertification

1970 1975-92 1982-97 1992-97 2000-07 2010-12

The Big Droughts

Nouakchott/Green Belt Project/FLM

PLEMVASP

Comm. Afforest. Project

PSPVN

Rehabilitation & extension of NGBP (Walloon reg. & Prince Laurent of Belgium)

Road Map to Combat Desertification

SPECIAL PROGRAM TO PROTECT NOUAKCHOTT CITY - PSPVN

Solving the Sand Encroachment Dilemma: Sand Dunes Stabilization and Fixation Techniques

SPECIAL PROGRAM TO PROTECT THE TOWN OF NOUAKCHOTT COMMUNAUTY AFFORESTATION PROJECT Duration: 4 ans (2010-2013) Previsional program: 16 blocs 2000 ha Continental sand dunes 150 ha of littoral sand dunes Subdivided in 16 blocs

1.Mechanical Stabilization

2.Biological Fixation

TWO COMPLEMENTARY ACTIONS

Mechanical Stabilization

Palm leaves Euphorbia balsamifera Leptadenia pyrotechnica

Sand encroachment Understanding the factors Wind and Soil and their interaction in influencing the formation

and movement of sand masses Fundamental principle of dune fixation Preventing sand from moving during a long enough period to Allow natural and /or planted vegetation to established. Choice of stabilizing material Installation of palisades (vegetal or synthetic) and fences perpendicular to the prevailing

wind Material vegetal used to confectionate palisades or fences are made of the following local

species - Euphorbia balsamifera;

- Leptadenia pyrotechnica;

- Prosopis juliflora

-Phoenix dactylifera

Mechanical Stabilization

Transport of material vegetal Digging trenches

Installation of material Finished product

Biological Fixation Choice of Species The species to be installed will depend on their ability to adapt to the following three sand encroachment dynamique zones: Accumulation zone Deflation zone Transport zone AND Ability to survive in a poor environment in nutrients; Develop a powerful root system to reach rapidly the residual humidity in the soil Resistance to violent, dry and hot winds Ability to regenerate rapidly

Euphorbia balsamifera

Leptadenia pyrotechnica

Panicum turgidum

Espèce typique des ergs sahariens

Stipagrostis pungens Calligonum comosum

Espèce typique des ergs sahariens

Sur les dunes continentales mobiles

Prosopis juliflora

Espèce exotique ayant donné des résultats concrets et durables sur les dunes continentales.

Choice of species

Sur les dunes continentales dans les zones intermédiaires plus stables

Acacia senegal

Acacia tortilis

Salvadora persica

Bauhinia rufescens

Balanites aegyptiaca

Ziziphus mauritiana

Espèces ligneuses halophytes, qui peuvent supporter une salinité élevée

Nitraria retusa

Tamarix senegalensis Atriplex halimus

Atriplex nummularia (introduite)

Casuarina equisetifolia (introduite)

Sur les dunes littorales

Tamarix aphylla

Choix des espèces

Forest Nursery

Pépinière de Ten Soueilim Ensachement

Élevage des jeunes plants

Transplantation methods

SPECIAL PROGRAM TO PROTECT THE TOWN OF NOUAKCHOTT

Vue des réalisations Programme Spécial de Protection de Ville de Nouakchott (PSPVN) campagne 2010

Vue générale de la plantation 2004, avec des espèces locales (Acacia senegal et a. tortilis), Leptadenia et des graminées (Panicum) et au fond Prosopis juliflora

Flanc de dune entièrement stabilisé (Prosopis à gauche et A. senegal à droite) Plantation 2004

Plantation 2004 avec des espèces locales (A.

senegal, A. tortilis, Leptadenia) Vue d’une partie stabilisée (Plantation 2004-

05)

Recolonization of the stabilize area with local

species

Leptadenia, Panicum et A. tortilis plantation 2005).

La zone de régénération naturelle sert de pâturage pour les chameaux (en arrière plan plantation de Prosopis 2005)

Plantation de la FLM (1987-92), ayant exploité durablement en 2004-2005 pour les branches qui ont servi pour le clayonnage dans la plantation 2004-2005

Africa’s Great Green Wall

Suggestion and optimization from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

Ａ External enclosure protection zone: surrounding the capital

area inside and outside within the range of 5000 meters set enclosure

protection grazing area.

B Artificial ecological restoration zone: outside the sand-fixing belt

resistance sand by planting vegetation to build 1000 meters of

ecological restoration.

C Sand fixing belt: taking on the outside of the ecological economic

zone set up mechanical and artificial sand fixing squares planting

vegetation combination of a comprehensive 1000 meters wide sand

fixing belt .

D Ecological economic barrier belt: in the urban area by water

diversion irrigation to built sand storm backbone and ecological

economic forest belt combining construction of 300-500 - meter -

wide ecological economic barriers.

E City clear sand fixing zone: to clean up the hardening and

vegetation in urban areas and other measures to eliminate the capital

city of bare sand.

A

B

C

D

E

Tank you