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Summary Predation on domestic livestock in central Niger, especially by the golden jackal (Canis aureus (L.)), has been identified by herders as a problem second only to small stock disease. A standard questionnaire was used to gather information on herders' losses to predation. To determine food habits of jackals in the region, 143 scat samples were collected. Laboratory analysis of the scats showed that vegetable matter and invertebrates constituted the main identifiable items in the diet. Unidentified material was present in all of the samples collected and formed 44.7% of the dry weight of all material analysed. Résumé Au Niger Central, la prédation sur le bétail domestique–et particulièrement celle causée par le chacal doré (Canis aureus L.)–a été estimée pour les éleveurs comme un problème à peine moins important que les maladies touchant le petit bétail. Un questionnaire standard fut utilisé pour récolter des informations sur les pertes des éleveurs dues à la prédation. Afin de déterminer le régime alimentaire des chacals dans la région, 143 échantillons de fèces furent récoltés. Une analyse en laboratoire des fèces a montré que la matière végétale et des invertébrés constituaient la plus grande partie de ce qui était identifiable dans le régime. II y avait de la matière non identifiée dans tous les échantillons, elle représentait 44.7% du poids sec de toute la matière analysée.

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W National Park is shared by Niger, Upper Volta and Benin, and is recognized as being one of the most important parks in West Africa by virtue of its size—11,320 sq km—and its diversity of habitats and species*. Both its proximity to the rapidly growing capital of Niamey, Niger, and the burgeoning trans-Saraha tourist traffic give it great tourist potential. The park and its wildlife, however, are under constantly increasing pressure from poaching, illegal grazing, uncontrolled bush fires, the possibility of phosphate mining, and the lack of financial and material means to combat these problems. The author is a US Peace Corps biologist who worked in Niger for four years, for part of the time attached to the IUCN/WWF aridlands project. He describes conditions and problems in the Niger sector of W National Park and discusses possible solutions.

The Republic of Niger is establishing a vast national nature reserve in the Aïr Massif and Ténéré Desert. With its 77,360 km2, the reserve will cover a wide variety of arid-land habitats. Both rainfall and vegetation are sparse, but the area harbours a varied fauna that includes a number of threatened species. The Twareg inhabitants of the reserve subsist by raising livestock, by irrigating small gardens, and by caravanning. Their day-to-day existence relies heavily on natural resources, and their continued existence will depend on the conservation of those resources. Drought, desertification, and abusive use, are all responsible for the deterioration of those resources.Although highly necessary, the rational management of the area's natural resources will conflict with current landuse practices. Examples of where this happens are presented, and some proposals are put forward for their solution. Ideally, a flexible management system needs to be elaborated that will satisfy both the aspirations of the zone's managers and the immediate needs of its residents. The Authors hope that work in Niger will find its application elsewhere in the Sahel, and meanwhile emphasize the need to reconcile conservation with development.