Multi-scale approaches for best resource management practices of Sahelian landscapes in the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative context – FUTURE-SAHEL

WP1 focuses on the collection, structuring and visualization of data from national and international sources, and produced by researchers. Fueling the database is done in an iterative manner and will continue throughout the entire project. The data is made available to all actors via a client-server architecture using free technologies.
For WP2, the methodologies are classical: ecological monitoring of planted trees (survival and growth), quantitative and qualitative characterization of natural vegetation in the protected plots (natural regeneration of woody species and herbaceous vegetation). For WP3, approaches including tree population ecology, morphogenetics, and biochemistry to assess fruit quality, are used. For WP2 and WP3, the installation of a meteorological station at each site makes it possible to relate the climatic factors and the behavior of the species studied.
The WP4 explores the dynamics of the social- ecological systems of the past, present and future. For the past, a historical analysis (including key events operating at different scales and impacting the area) and systematic development projects (sources = internet, P3, local maintenance) for the area were carried out. To inform the currently available ecosystem services from woody species, ethnobotanical surveys coupled with participatory mapping workshops were carried out in four contrasted study sites. As far for the future, we are currently launching the pilot study of a «Resilience Assessment« protocol: “Wayfinder”. Commissioned by the Global Resilience Partnership, Wayfinder is an innovative participatory protocol designed to enable researchers, local stakeholders and decision-makers to collectively analyze the governance situation of natural resources, identify weaknesses and collectively exploring alternative management scenarios.

A first-generation, comprehensive database centered on the GGW in Senegal was developed. It is complemented by studies of landscape ecology dynamics via satellite imagery. These data strongly contribute to other Future Sahel research themes: (i) carbon sequestration of planted species; (ii) extrapolation of fruit production at the regional scale of Balanites aegyptiaca, one of the key species for diversification of local livelihoods; (iii) analysis of ecosystem services (ES) at the landscape level with the aim of increasing socio-environmental resilience along the GGW path.
Experimental field trials involving 13 native tree species planted in two contrasted ecogeographical zones, are critical for choosing tree species for large-scale reforestation, with the aim of maximizing tree biodiversity. In parallel, monitoring of natural regeneration in the fenced-off, field plots has already led to the recommendation that natural regeneration techniques, as opposed to large-scale reforestation should be promoted in areas where rainfall does not exceed 300 mm / year.
The ongoing morphometric, biochemical and genetic analyses of natural stands of B. aegypticaca from three sites of contrasted climatic conditions and physicochemical soil properties will provide a much needed, in-depth understanding of its ecological requirements and reproductive biology in order to unlock the socio-economic potential of this promising species in the zone.
The systematic study of past development projects along the GGW path was the first step towards understanding their potential contribution to creating social and environmental resilience in the zone. Prior to the 1990’s, environmental conservation and restoration were not a priority focus for development in the zone.
The analysis of ES at the landscape level underline the richness of landscape units as sources of multiple ES. The GGW has already created new landscape units that are generating high value ES (i.e. communal gardens)

Future Sahel is situated at the intersection of research and development with partners from “both sides of the fence” coming together around a common object: the GGW. It is rich in solution-oriented goals, but no less rich in terms of its potential for producing conceptual breakthroughs in our understanding of the Sahelian drylands. The stage is set for concepts to continually emerge, and, in keeping with the project title, at multiple spatial and time scales. In as much as we can predict to a certain extent the types of knowledge that will be generated herein (WP2 and WP3), we are also confident that the wealth of information generated (from WP1 and WP4 in combination) will produce previously unsuspected, novel concepts and research avenues throughout the project. Some of the main bottlenecks in terms of advancing scientific knowledge of the Sahel until now have been that i) much of the data has never been published and ii) when it has, it has often been highly disciplinary (history, focus on a particular biological ecosystem component, climate, etc). “Conceptual rupture” will be guaranteed through the interdisciplinary, multi-sectorial nature of the partnership and the close-knit collaboration with local populations, mainly through WP4. We are also creating novel tools that will persist beyond the project lifespan: the social-ecological database, well-documented, experimental field plots that serve as “open-air laboratories” for researchers now and in the future, elite individual trees to be used as a starting point for domestication strategies, and a multi-stakeholder resilience assessment that will help design the way forward a brighter future in the Sahel.Finally, the structure and function of Future Sahel is, in and of itself, novel. If we are successful, this work could significantly fast-track GGW decision-making processes in other GGW countries, and in other development contexts in which the operationalization of resilience thinking is a priority.

International conferences:
- Setting up a Wayfinder pilot study in the context of the Great Green Wall of Africa. Resilience for Development Colloquium. 8-10 mai 2017. Johannesburg, South Africa.
- The Great Green Wall of Africa: a potential driver of transformation and increased resilience in Sahelian landscapes?” Transformations 2015. 5-7 oct, 2015. Stockholm, Sweden.
- Perception de l'arbre en contexte Sahélien. Séminaire LabEX DRIIHM, 9-11 mai, 2017. Aveiro, Portugal. halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01521743
- Interdisciplinarity and co-design of environment-society interactions at local and international level. Experiences from Senegal and Arctic Canada. European Regional Workshop for Future Earth. 5-6 nov, 2015. Innsbruck, Austria
- A Great Green Wall social-ecological systems database: A tool for researchers and managers. Séminaire LabEX DRIIHM, 9-11 mai, 2017. Aveiro, Portugal. halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01521755

Publication (resubmitted) :
- Biodiversity field trials to inform reforestation and natural resource management strategies along the African Great Green Wall in Senegal (en cours de re-soumission à New Forests)

Book chapters :
- Cadre climatique et ressources en eau dans la zone de la Grande Muraille Verte sénégalaise (Jean-Luc Peiry & Olivier Voldoire) In : La Grande Muraille Verte en marche, (CNRS Editions, parution 2018)
- Hypertension artérielle des populations sahéliennes et salinité de l’eau de boisson provenant des forages dans la commune de Tessékéré, nord Ferlo, Sénégal (Priscilla Duboz, Jean-Luc Peiry, Gilles Boëtsch, Lamine Gueye, Enguerran Macia, Olivier Voldoire) In : La Grande Muraille Verte en marche, (CNRS Editions, parution 2018)

Popular science outreach:
- articles : J. CNRS, Info.bae (Argentine), Ouest France, Expressen (S), Afrique Défi, Waterfront Magazine (dec.17), Rethink.
- films and radio : Science et Vie TV, BBC World Radio, France Culture.

The African Sahel is one of the most vulnerable regions on Earth. Although it is comprised of highly diverse eco-geographical and social landscapes, the increasing ecological and social vulnerability is clearly the common denominator of the entire zone, translating into an urgent call for action. In this sense, the adoption of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGW) in 2007 is a step in the right direction. Originally conceived as a reforestation project, it has evolved into a series of multi-sectorial actions, taking into account both the social and ecological dimensions of the system and the diversity of the mosaic landscapes it crosses. The GGW has received a considerable amount of attention in the international arena as a potential game-changer for improving livelihoods and resilience in the Sahel. However, the success of the GGW will depend on its capacity to intelligently gather, generate, integrate, and use knowledge derived from a wide range of disciplines, taking into account the nature and complexity of socio-ecological systems. In this context, FUTURE-SAHEL is particularly timely. Through our multi-sectorial, interdisciplinary partnership composed of leading international academic partners and GGW natural resource decision makers, the research proposal described herein is specifically designed to investigate on-the-ground, pragmatic resource management solutions (gather and generate), provide a conceptual framework to aid the decision making process within the GGW project (integrate), and with the Senegalese National Green Wall Agency as a partner, translate research into direct action (use).
Beyond these solution-oriented goals, the possibilities herein for advancing our fundamental understanding of Sahelian social-ecological system structure and function are absolutely boundless at different temporal (we will explore the past, present and future) and spatial scales (ranging from small-scale, kilometer-size “windows” of observation along the GGW path to the full trajectory of Senegal, the focal scale for FUTURE-SAHEL). The research program consists of four individual, yet highly interdependent work packages (WP). In WP 1, a comprehensive database will compile and spatialize data from numerous external sources, research (from WP2, WP3, WP4 and beyond), and GGW actions with the aim to capture the richness and diversity of evolving social ecological systems operating across the GGW. It will further our understanding of the complex relationships among biophysical, social and ecological parameters. WP2 aims to maximize tree biodiversity for GGW reforestation, placing the preferences of local populations, highly dependent on this diversity to fulfill daily needs, at centre stage. This will also produce essential knowledge as to mechanisms of tree species adaptation to climate stress. WP3 contributes to unlocking the socio-economic potential of a model species for dryland reforestation, Balanites aegyptiaca, a drought-resistant, highly useful tree species. To reach this goal, fundamental scientific knowledge of its reproductive biology and genetic determinants of fruit quality traits is needed. Herein, we plan to fill the gap. Finally, WP4 will explore Sahelian landscapes of the past (reforestation history using a practical resilience principles-based lens), the present (mapping of current ecosystems services (ES) along the GGW path using data from WP1, 2 and 3), and the future (though multi-stakeholder, participatory approaches, i.e. resilience assessments and scenarios workshops) to operationalize resilience theory and devise a conceptual framework for GGW decision-making processes. Finally, FUTURE-SAHEL will set a precedent for other GGW countries and more broadly for large-scale development initiatives as an example of a functional research-development interface, highly promoted at the highest political level, but rarely found in practice, to solve eco-societal issues of this caliber.