Spatiotemporal Response of Vegetation to Rainfall and Air Temperature Fluctuations in the Sahel: Case Study in the Forest Reserve of Fina, Mali

Abstract

Forests constitute a key component of the Earth system but the sustainability of the forest reserves in the semi-arid zone is a real concern since its vegetation is very sensitive to the climate fluctuation. The understanding of the mechanisms for the vegetation–climate interaction is poorly studied in the context of African Sahel. In this study, the characteristics of the vegetation response to the fluctuations of precipitation and temperature is determined for the forest reserve of Fina. Rainfall estimates, air temperature and NDVI were re-gridded to a same spatial resolution and standardized with respect to their respective long-term mean. Lag-correlations analysis was used to estimate lag times between changes of climate variables and vegetation response at both seasonal and interannual bases. Results show increasing tendency of NDVI started from the 1990s coinciding the recovery of the rainfall from the 1980s drought, and the obtained correlation (r = 0.66) is statistically significant (p value < 0.01). The strongest responses of vegetation to rainfall and temperature fluctuations were found after 30 and 15 days, respectively. Moreover, at a shorter time lag (e.g., 15 days), more pronounced vegetation responses to both rainfall and temperature were found in agriculturally dominated land while at a longer time lag (e.g., 30 days), a stronger response was observed in Bare-dominated land. The vegetation response to the climate fluctuation is modulated by the land-use/cover dynamics.

From Wooded Savannah to Farmland and Settlement: Population Growth, Drought, Energy Needs and Cotton Price Incentives Driving Changes in Wacoro, Mali

“…While our study focused on Mali, it has contributed to the understanding of wider land change drivers relevant to the Sahel region as a whole. Similar to the results of our current study, other authors also reported that climate change in general and increasing drought periods in particular negatively affect the livelihoods of rural communities in Sahelian West Africa [43][44][45] and that this pushes them towards expansion of cropland and alternative livelihoods (firewood, charcoal and timber), ultimately driving land cover change (e.g., loss of wooded savannah). Thereby, land management strategies need to consider climate friendly energy and timber sources for livelihood improvement in the Sahel [46].…”

From Wooded Savannah to Farmland and Settlement: Population Growth, Drought, Energy Needs and Cotton Price Incentives Driving Changes in Wacoro, Mali

“…Similar to the results of our current study, other authors also reported that climate change in general and particularly through increased drought periods negatively affects the livelihoods of local communities' in Sahelian West Africa ( [34]; [35]; [36] and that this pushes them towards expansion of cropland and search for alternative livelihoods (firewood, charcoal and timber), ultimately driving land cover change (ex. loss of wooded savannah) as observed in our study.…”

Solar-based irrigation systems as a game changer to improve agricultural practices in sub-Sahara Africa: A case study from Mali

“…The technology requires skills in implementation, maintenance, and use. However, 46% of the studied districts' rural communities do not have formal education (Sanogo et al, 2021). In situations when there are no industries or equivalent employers to provide local people with income-generating opportunities, the implementation of small-scale SBISs with the provision of required skills could be a useful option to enhance the livelihood of rural communities.…”

“…Areas receiving annual rainfall >800 mm were found to be suitable as well. However, the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall as evidenced in southern Mali (Ebi et al, 2011;Akinseye et al, 2020;Sanogo et al, 2021) could be a limiting factor to recharge groundwater aquifers. This could also impact the sustainability of SBISs.…”

“…Traditional irrigation is practiced using shallow wells that have depths ranging from 6.5 to 14.5 meters (Birhanu and Tabo, 2016). A recently conducted survey on water availability and access in rural Mali revealed that while 39% of rural Malians always lack water, periodic water shortages are experienced by the majority of communities (61%) (Sanogo et al, 2021) sometimes or the other. In the traditional system, water for irrigation is collected manually from shallow wells through a bucket connected to a rope.…”