Natural Resources Management

Due to their predominantly extensive and extractive (non-compensatory) production systems, and their extreme poverty, populations in West Africa and the Sahel remain highly dependent on the goods and services provided by natural resources. This dependency exerts increasing pressure on natural resources as human and animal populations grow, leading to rising consumption needs. Already severely degraded by climate deterioration since the 1970s—resulting in reduced agricultural yields—these natural resources are seeing their sustainability and their ability to support rural livelihoods seriously compromised. This situation is all the more concerning as the population in West Africa and the Sahel continues to grow at a rapid pace, with projections indicating that by 2050, Africa alone will account for half of the global population. CILSS member states must therefore demonstrate increased ingenuity to ensure a sustainable balance between the state of natural resources and ecosystems and the growing demands placed on them, so they can continue to provide essential ecosystem services to the populations that depend on them.

The main objective is to contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources and the effects of climate change in West Africa and the Sahel through:

Reliable and accessible information for decision-making in the face of increasingly frequent and severe climate events, which primarily affect the most vulnerable households—the poor;
An integrated approach to interventions in natural resources management, land tenure, and food and nutrition security;
Combating land and environmental degradation;
Developing tools and disseminating best practices to support informed decision-making;
Managing mobile livestock systems, taking into account cross-border aspects.