Niger is a large country (over twice the size of France) immediately to the north of Nigeria in west Africa. Settled agriculture in the south of the country gives way to pastoralism further north as conditions become ever more arid. Niger has recently been in the international spotlight owing to localised areas of famine – the result of the cyclical failure of the rains, locust infestations and poorly developed response mechanisms. Forest in this region is generally open and sparse. The dry conditions will support only a light population of trees and bushes scattered over the landscape. The preservation and good management of these forests is however of great importance. Forests are a communal resource for the settled rural population and provide wood fuel, building materials, grass and leaf fodder for stock amongst many other benefits. Forests are also vital to the pastoralists as holding areas for their herds, which they move through agricultural settlements following the rains and seasonal grass.
Forest "commons" are the focus of increasing conflict between different user groups. There is competition for fuel wood between local users and those who make their livelihood through supplying wood to the cities. Niger is still 95% dependent on wood for heating and cooking. Forest boundaries are being eroded by farmers seeking to extend their fields and, as forests decline, there is a scarcity of holding areas for migratory stock resulting in damage to surrounding cropland.
The Berkeley Reafforestation Trust has been working in Niger for a number of years alongside a small international research and development agency SOS Sahel. Our initial focus was on Takieta Forest in Zinder province in the east of the country. Like all forests in Niger, Takieta belongs to the government whose overstretched forest service cannot manage them properly. Takieta, a large forest of 16,800 acres (6,720 hectares) was being illegally settled by farmers and subject to largely uncontrolled logging and exploitation. The forest was gradually being encroached upon and degrading.
The Takieta project centred on involving all user groups in proper discussion and achieving consensus through effective forest committees with full democratic representation. A successful application was made to the government for permission for the community to manage the forest itself – the first experiment of its kind in Niger and a model for other forests in the country. The outcome has been a great success:
- There has been an end to illegal settlement and forest exploitation.
- The forest is producing a surplus of wood fuel. Not only is it providing for local needs but also generating a significant surplus for sale to outside traders.
- All stakeholders are represented in the management of the forest. Forest regulations are policed by the community.
- For the past five years, an average of 20,000 tree seedlings have been grown in village compounds and planted out in the forest by volunteers.
- The Takieta experiment has led to a change in the forest law. Communities now have the right to apply to the government for permission to manage their own forest resources.
The Berkeley Reafforestion Trust is now supporting the establishment of an indigenous rural development organisation to carry forward this important and innovative work.
