Integrated modelling of the ecosystem of the Niger river inland delta in Mali

Abstract

The Niger River inland delta in Mali constitutes a vast 36,000 km 2 area of wetlands, producing numerous natural resources, exploited by fishermen, pastoralists and farmers. It is also a humid zone protected through the Ramsar convention of 1971. To promote the management of its natural resources, an integrated model has been developed in order to simulate the evolution of this ecosystem in relation to different scenarios of population increase, diminishing natural flooding (climatic droughts, construction of dams), increasing stress on land tenure and access to farming areas, technological advances, current administrative decentralisation policy. Possible applications of the model are illustrated through an analysis of the impact of the construction of dams on the traditional farming systems of the delta (fishing, rice cropping, pastoralism), and through a sensitivity analysis of an evolution in the fishing techniques on the revenues of fishermen. The validity of the results of the modelling is discussed and its use for other studies in the field of integrated natural resources management analysed.

A management-oriented valuation method to determine ecological water requirement for wetlands in the Yellow River Delta of China

“…They provide important services such as purification and regulation of water flows, numerous resources for human uses, habitats for plants, animal and micro-organisms as well as recreational opportunities (Silvius et al 2000;Zacharias et al 2003). Aside from the above services, the delta wetland is an important wetland type in which water flow driven by a complex interaction between main stem-estuary processes and watershed discharge is a remarkable (Gregory & Grace 2002;Gregory & Linda 2003;Kuper et al 2003).…”

Learning From Local Knowledge: Modeling the Pastoral‐nomadic Range Management of the Himba, Namibia

“…In numerous studies, the spatially and temporally heterogeneous response of vegetation dynamics to grazing and precipitation is investigated with the aid of modeling (Pickup 1996, Wiegand and Milton 1996, Jeltsch et al 1997, Illius et al 1998, Janssen et al 2000, Weber et al 2000, Adler et al 2001, van de Koppel et al 2002, Pu¨tz 2005, Mu¨ller et al 2007. However the few modeling studies of mobile management systems of pastoral nomads are mainly focused on socioeconomic issues (Rouchier et al 2001, Kuper et al 2003, Thornton et al 2003, 2006, MilnerGulland et al 2006 and not on the impact on vegetation (as exception Coughenour 1992, Illius and O'Connor 2000. Recently some studies have used simulation models to study the effects of changes in management actions of pastoralists on the ecosystem.…”

Quantifying the Sustainability of Water Availability for the Water‐Food‐Energy‐Ecosystem Nexus in the Niger River Basin

“…For a transboundary river basin like the Niger, it is beneficial for policy makers to understand changes in regional and national sustainability under different external drivers. Considering demographic, ecological, fishery distribution, country area, water quantity, and socioeconomic factors, we identified five countries along the main stem of the Niger: Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon and three regions of special interest: Office du Niger (major irrigated crop production), Inner Niger Delta (key ecosystem hot spot), and Outlet Niger Delta (key ecosystem hot spot) for regional‐level analyses (e.g., Bhattacharyya et al, ; Kuper et al, ; Liersch et al, ; NBA, ; Ogilvie et al, ; Passchier et al, ; Sidibé & Williams, ; Zwarts et al, ). The relative location of these countries and locations from upstream to downstream are as follows: Guinea, Mali, Office du Niger, Inner Niger Delta, Niger, Nigeria, Outlet Niger Delta, and Cameroon (the Benue River).…”

“…For ecosystem results, different papers draw different conclusions, among others, due to differing models, data, and assumptions. The most popular debate is focused on the influence of the Fomi Dam on the Inner Niger Delta; while some studies remain neutral about potentially negative effects (Passchier et al, ), others suggest that Fomi will alter the flow regime in the Inner Niger Delta in the dry and flood seasons (Ghile et al, ; Kuper et al, ; NBA, ). It is difficult to compare our ecosystem results with these papers.…”

“…In parallel, several studies highlighted the important relationships shaped by the Inner Niger Delta, the largest river floodplain in West Africa and a designated Ramsar wetland site with important associated ecosystem services (Ogilvie et al, , ). Kuper et al () developed an integrated model to characterize the Inner Niger Delta's ecosystem under multiple scenarios that take into account population, flooding, and water infrastructure development. Ghile et al () explored impacts of climate variation on water infrastructure investment via a risk‐based model.…”