Strengthening Land and Ecosystem Management Under Conditions of Climate Change in the Niayes and Casamance Regions in the Republic of Senegal
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The"Strengthening Land and Ecosystem Management Under Conditions of Climate Change in the Niayes and Casamance Regions in the Republic of Senegal" project supports ecosystem-based adaptation and builds the enabling environments required for long-term climate resilience. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility Least Developed Countries Fund. According to Senegal’s NAPA, the country is experiencing repeated droughts that have severely changed the water regime and vegetation cover. In addition, periodic flooding is also experienced. Targeted project areas (Niayes and Casamance) are being impacted by climate change and variability that can be summarized as: reduced rainfall (200-400 mm from north to south); high rainfall variability within and between years; increased rainfall pauses; shortening of the rainy season (the country has one rainy season with an average duration of 3 months); and an increase in temperature.
The impacts of climate change combined with human activities in the project areas, as in the rest of the country, result in a dramatic degradation of ecosystems that are the only means of survival for poor people in rural areas, which account for the vast majority. There are serious threats to agricultural production in eco-geographical areas of Niayes and Casamance due to climate change impacts such as water shortage, land degradation, salinization, siltation of valleys linked to soil erosion in highlands, and degradation of habitats among the most productive and sensitive such as mangroves and coastal areas.
Almost all social, economic, and environmental aspects in the two project areas are already seriously affected negatively by observed climate change impacts. It is also clear that these impacts will worsen in the short term and perhaps medium to long term as well, unless appropriate solutions are implemented. The desired alternative situation would be to promote the adoption by local communities of systems and practices that are resilient to climate change and variability. The implementation of this alternative requires the removal of several barriers including: inadequate production systems to cope with climate variability and change; weak institutional capacities for the production and use of climate information; insufficient capacity of local communities, technical services and local governing bodies to develop and implement climate change adaptation practices; and, limited technical and financial capacities of producers and households. This project, classified as a priority in Senegal’s NAPA, is designed to contribute to the desired solution through its main objective to strengthen the enabling environment for the implementation of appropriate adaptation measures based on ecosystem management in Niayes and Casamance.
The project is implemented through the Senegal Directorate of Water, Forests, Hunting and Soil Conservation.
Expected outcomes
Outcome 1 - Effective forecasting, preparedness, and decision making information management systems for determining and tracking climate impacts on ecosystems are established
Outcome 2 - Ecosystem based adaptation options including the adoption of climate resilient land and ecosystem management practices in two target areas (Niayes and Casamance) reduce exposure to climate induced risks
Outcome 3- Community, household, and individual capacities will be strengthened for greater advocacy towards climate change responses and effective support to adaptation efforts.
Project details
Levels of intervention
- District
Key implementers
- National Governments
Funding amounts
Project partners
- Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Introduction
The"Strengthening Land and Ecosystem Management Under Conditions of Climate Change in the Niayes and Casamance Regions in the Republic of Senegal" project supports ecosystem-based adaptation and builds the enabling environments required for long-term climate resilience. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility Least Developed Countries Fund. According to Senegal’s NAPA, the country is experiencing repeated droughts that have severely changed the water regime and vegetation cover. In addition, periodic flooding is also experienced. Targeted project areas (Niayes and Casamance) are being impacted by climate change and variability that can be summarized as: reduced rainfall (200-400 mm from north to south); high rainfall variability within and between years; increased rainfall pauses; shortening of the rainy season (the country has one rainy season with an average duration of 3 months); and an increase in temperature.
The impacts of climate change combined with human activities in the project areas, as in the rest of the country, result in a dramatic degradation of ecosystems that are the only means of survival for poor people in rural areas, which account for the vast majority. There are serious threats to agricultural production in eco-geographical areas of Niayes and Casamance due to climate change impacts such as water shortage, land degradation, salinization, siltation of valleys linked to soil erosion in highlands, and degradation of habitats among the most productive and sensitive such as mangroves and coastal areas.
Almost all social, economic, and environmental aspects in the two project areas are already seriously affected negatively by observed climate change impacts. It is also clear that these impacts will worsen in the short term and perhaps medium to long term as well, unless appropriate solutions are implemented. The desired alternative situation would be to promote the adoption by local communities of systems and practices that are resilient to climate change and variability. The implementation of this alternative requires the removal of several barriers including: inadequate production systems to cope with climate variability and change; weak institutional capacities for the production and use of climate information; insufficient capacity of local communities, technical services and local governing bodies to develop and implement climate change adaptation practices; and, limited technical and financial capacities of producers and households. This project, classified as a priority in Senegal’s NAPA, is designed to contribute to the desired solution through its main objective to strengthen the enabling environment for the implementation of appropriate adaptation measures based on ecosystem management in Niayes and Casamance.
The project is implemented through the Senegal Directorate of Water, Forests, Hunting and Soil Conservation.
Project details
Despite various strategies, policies and measures that were undertaken, the current socio-economic situation in the Niayes and in Casamance is characterized by low resilience to climate change and variability. The weakness of the physical environment (low and erratic rainfall, low groundwater levels, salinization and soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, regression of mangrove and forest) under high human pressure and degradation of systems and production tools have led to falling incomes of local people. The sources of income for local communities mainly based on the services and products from these ecosystems will be increasingly affected by the impacts of climate change and variability. Unless appropriate solutions are implemented, these effects will have negative impacts on productivity in all sectors, resulting in difficult socio-economic conditions, including increased poverty and an impediment to national development efforts.
The long-term solution promoted through this project would be to promote the adoption of integrated agro-sylvo-pastoral systems and practices that are resilient to climate change and variability, that will improve horticulture and rice production, strengthen the protective and production function of the band of casuarinas and ensure sound management of water resources, forests and mangroves for the benefit of local communities in the project target areas of Niayes and Casamance.
The long-term solution for local communities’ sustainable resilience to climate change will necessarily involve an understanding of climate information with the implementation of adequate financial, institutional and technical measures for a better adaptation of the socio-economic activities to climate change. Therefore, these challenges, sources of population vulnerability must be overcome by the producers to adapt to climate change in order to increase the resilience of the production systems in the intervention sites identified in the Niayes and Casamance.
- District
- National Governments
- Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Key results & output
Outcome 1 - Effective forecasting, preparedness, and decision making information management systems for determining and tracking climate impacts on ecosystems are established
Output 1.1: The climate, meteorological and hydrological network for the target areas and the capacities are strengthened in order to produce reliable data needed to monitor and analyze hydro-climatic phenomena.
Output 1.2: An integrated information system producing climate information and generating the products needed to identify risks related to climate change (e.g., maps for risk, vulnerability, etc.) is developed to help identify efficient adaptation options and develop actors’ capacities in adaptation.
Output 1.3: A platform for sharing information is established to support the management of climate risks and long-term planning for adaptation.
Outcome 2 - Ecosystem based adaptation options including the adoption of climate resilient land and ecosystem management practices in two target areas (Niayes and Casamance) reduce exposure to climate induced risks
Output 2.1: At least 100 hectares of mangrove plantations are managed sustainably to restore this important ecosystem as a means of support (oyster farming, for example) and reduce the impact of swell and coastal erosion.
Output 2.2: Multi-purpose community forests resilient to climate change tested in the vegetable gardens of Niayes to protect crops from wind erosion and prevent encroachment by sand dunes.
Output 2.3: At least 10 community groups, particularly women’s groups, will be supported in Casamance to improve climate resilience through agro-pastoral and agro-forestry activities and sustainable water management practices in rice paddies.
Outcome 3- Community, household, and individual capacities will be strengthened for greater advocacy towards climate change responses and effective support to adaptation efforts.
Output 3.1: Local governments and decentralized technical services have the necessary capacities to support communities in implementing adaptation activities.
Output 3.2: The benefits from implemented adaptation solutions are monitored and shared with government officials, target communities and partners to inform them about project results replication opportunities.
Reports & publications
Videos & multimedia
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Contacts
- UNDPClotilde GoemanRegional Technical Advisor
- UNDPNdeye Fatou Diaw Guene
- Oumar DiawProject Manager