Transhumant practices and its effects on natural resource management in the Sudano-Sahelian Zone of Mali Clarisse UMUTONI & Augustine AYANTUNDE International Livestock Research Institute, ILRI Africa RISING-Legacy Writeshop, December 12-13, 2016

Plan Introduction Methodology Main results & discussion Conclusion

Introduction Forage and water scarcity (dry season) Increased livestock movement into the Southern region of Mali Increasing competition over natural resources This may lead to natural resource degradation

Introduction Despite the strong presence of transhumant herds in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Mali in the past 30 years : There has been limited research on the practice of transhumance in that zone compared to several studies in the Sahelian zone Few studies addressed the issues of transhumant practices and NRM

Introduction Assumption We assume that natural resources are affected by the increase of transhumant practices in southern region of Mali

Introduction Research questions What are impacts of transhumant practices on natural resource management ? How is the day to day relation between transhumant herders and host communities? What are the factors influencing individual’s perceptions of impact of transhumant practices on NRM?

Introduction Objective Analyze individual’s perception of impact of transhumant practices on NRM in southern Mali

Methodology a) Study area Southern part of Mali Two districts : Bougouni and Koutiala Six communities

Methodology b) Approach Data collection period: February to April 2014 : period of transhumance to ensure inclusion of transhumant herders 'perspective

Methodology b) Approach Data collection Focus group discussions individual interviews :177

Methodology b) Approach Data analysis Descriptive statistics Chi Square and ANOVA Multinomial logit (MNL) model SPSS (version 20) was used for the analysis

Key results and discussion Table 2. Effect of transhumant practices on NRM over the past 30 years Parameters Bougouni Koutiala Farmers (%) Settled pastoralists (%) Transhumant herders (%) Availability of forage resources   Increase 6.7 4.2 1.5 5. 6 Decrease 93.3 82.4 91.6 78.5 88.8 87.5 No change 17.6 20. 5.6 12.5 Abusive cutting of trees 100 33.3 67.7 44.4 4.4 25.0 2.3 41.7 32.3 50

Key results and discussion Table 2. Effect of transhumant practices on NRM over the past 30 years (CNTNG…) Parameters Bougouni Koutiala Farmers (%) Settled pastoralists (%) Transhumant herders (%) Incidence of conflict over NR   Increase 82.2 88.2 62.5 20 27.8 37.5 Decrease 4.4 12.5 No change 13.3 13.4 25.0 80 72.2 Species richness of the vegetation 1.6 100 29.2 64.6 77.8 25 58.3 33.8 22.2 75 Spread of invasive species 95.6 94.1 33.3 9.2 5.6 5.9 8.3 27.7 50 58.4 63.1 44.4

Key results and discussion Table 2. Effect of transhumant practices on NRM over the past 30 years (CNTNG…) Bougouni Koutiala Farmers (%) Settled pastoralists (%) Transhumant herders (%) Farmer (%) Soil fertility improvement   Increase 46.7 11.8 20.8 41.5 55.6 62.5 Decrease 48.9 82.3 41.7 24.7 11.1 No change 4.4 5.9 37.5 33.8 33.3 Annual production of vegetation 8.4 5.6 95.6 94.1 45.8 67.7 32.3 38.8 100

Key results and discussion (Turner 2003; Ayantunde et al. 2014). This negative perception of farmers Could be explained by the dominance of the ethnic groups who are traditionally farmers in the study sites and who often do not have a favorable view of the transhumant pastoralists because they are seen as competitors for their natural resources (Turner 2003; Ayantunde et al. 2014).

Key results and discussion Determinants of perception of transhumant practices on natural resource management socio-professional categories location education level Age

Conclusion The results illustrate that : Bougouni zone is comparatively more affected by transhumant practices The perceived impact of transhumant practices depends on socio-profession groups

Conclusion This study suggest that : It is necessary to engage all actors on how to effectively manage the presence of transhumant herders to promote sustainable use of natural resources in Sudano-Sahelian zone of Mali

Thank you for your attention!