Fifteen years of forest community management in Niger: from a technician’s dream to social reality(Rives Fanny, Peltier Régis, Montagne Pierre)

Taking stock of smallholder and community forestry: Where do we go from here?Conference in Montpellier, March, 2010

The history of Community forest management in Niger

The origins: fear of desertification and of fire wood shortage+Ineffectiveness of forest policies

1980s’

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

1981 Forest cooperatives IDA project

1992 Firewood Rural Markets (Edict number 92-037) Energy II Project – PEII (1989-1998)

What is a “Rural Market of firewood” (RM)?

A Local Management Structure (SLG)

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

A place of wood sale in rural area

A delimited area that supply the Rural Market

Structure (SLG)

A tax on firewood trade

Location of case studies in Tillaberi region

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

Rural Market of Tientiergou

Rural Market of Ñinpelima

Technical rules in the RMs of Ñinpelima & Tientiergou

Rural Market Type of RM Forest delimitation

Harvestingquota

Division into plots

Trees to be harvested

Ñinpelima Oriented YES YES NO Dead trees

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

Tientiergou Controlled YES YES 6 plots Live trees*

*Live trees of 4 species:

- Combretum micranthum and Guiera senegalensis which diameter is > than 6 cm

- Combretum glutinosum and Combretum nigricans which diameter is > than 8 cm

Methods

Technical rules

• Semi-directive interviews

• Observations

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

Woodcutters practices

Sustainability?

• Semi-directive Interviews

• Observations

• Inventories

Similar practices in Ñinpelima and Tientiergou

Technical rules Practices

• Forest limits(both RM)

• Harvesting beyond forest limits in Ñinpelima (and maybe in Tientiergou)

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

• Forest division into plots(Tientiergou RM only)

• Type of wood to harvest(Dead trees in Ñinpelima RM)

• Quota of wood to harvest(both RM)

• Harvesting in the whole of the forestin Ñinpelima and Tientiergou

• Harvesting of live trees of several species in Ñinpelima and Tientiergou

• Annual harvesting > quotain Ñinpelima

Practices: harvesting beyond forest limits in Ñinpelima

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

Road from Niamey to Ouagadougou

Limits of Ñinpelima RM

Woodcutters trip

Why forest limits are not respected in Ñinpelima?

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

Limits of Ñinpelima “terroir”

Road from Niamey to Ouagadougou

Limits of Ñinpelima RM

And yet, rules on forest delimitation have evolved

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

Faïra forestForest cooperative

Ñinpelima/ Tientiergou forestRural Market

1988 1993

IDA Project Energy II Project

15 plots 6 plots 1 plot

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

In Tientiergou, turnover on plots is not respected…… And yet, rules on forest delimitation have evolved

Faïra ForestForest cooperatives

Tientiergou forestRural Market

1981 1992

15 plots15-years turnover

6 plots6-years turnover

(Ichaou, 2009)Rural Market

1 plot9-years turnover

IDA Project Energy II Project

2009

Gesforcom Project

Sustainability: ecological changes in Tientiergou

Comparison between inventories made in 2007 and inv entories made in 1990

1990 2007

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

920 stems/ ha with diameter > than 4 cm

705 stems/ ha with diameter > than 3 cm

Sustainability: ecological changes in Ñinpelima

Comparison between inventories in harvested plots a nd inventories in non harvested plots

80

90

Diameter class distribution of stems according to plot treatment (Combretum)

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

[0-2[ [2-4[ [4-6[ [6-8[ >8

% o

f St

em

s n

um

be

r

Diameter class of stems (cm)

Without harvesting

With harvesting

Sustainability: ecological structure is changing but regeneration is ensured in Ñinpelima and Tientiergou

• Interviews with woodcutters confirmed that forest s tructure is modified (decrease of stems diameter, decrease of species with bad capacity of regeneration, end of dead trees)

• However, forest dynamic is provided

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

• resilience of “tiger bush” (Peltier &al, 1994; Tongway &al, 2001)

• Vegetative propagation of Soudano-sahelian sp (Bellefontaine, 1997)

Sustainability: socio-economical changes

• Changes in stakeholders

• Changes in individual incomes

• Changes in collective incomes

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

Improvement of living conditions

BUT…

• Woodcutters are worried about the decrease of the q uality of wood

• Wood traders can buy wood in other areas

Are these practices economically sustainable at RM scale?

Conclusions

Context Case studies Methods Results & Discussion

� On the gap between Practices and Technical rules

• A feedback of practices on technical rules…

• … However, most technical rules did not apply

• What are the necessary technical rules?

� On the sustainability

• Local practices did not threaten regeneration of sa helian ecosystems

• Local practices threatened production of stems with large diameter

• Scale of sustainability?