From wooded savannah to farmland and settlement: population growth, drought, energy needs and cotton price incentives driving changes in Wacoro, Mali

Sanogo, N. D. M., Dayamba, S. D., Renaud, F. G. and Feurer, M. (2022) From wooded savannah to farmland and settlement: population growth, drought, energy needs and cotton price incentives driving changes in Wacoro, Mali. Land, 11(12), 2117. (doi: 10.3390/land11122117)

Abstract

Land includes vegetation and water bodies and provides the basis for human livelihoods through primary production, food and freshwater supply, and multiple other ecosystem services. The last three decades have recorded frequent drought events as well as rapid population growth, which has often resulted in adverse land use and land cover change (LULCC) in the Sahel of Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to propose sustainable land management strategies, it is a prerequisite to investigate the rate of LULCC and its driving factors in specific locations. This study investigated the case of Wacoro municipality in Mali using a combined approach of remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems, and focus group discussions. Satellite images and local people’s perceptions on LULCC and drivers were collected and analyzed for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. We found that the study area faced a rapid decrease in wooded savannah that was degraded and converted to shrub savannah and later to farmland and settlement. Changes were directly or indirectly related to the rapid population growth, high cotton price (which encouraged cropland expansion), drought, firewood extraction, and charcoal production, which was exacerbated by poverty. We suggest promoting integrated land management strategies that consider current and future livelihood needs and preserve the environment for the benefits of future generations. New agricultural policies, such as cotton price incentives, should always be accompanied by an assessment of their potential environmental impacts and design of adequate mitigation measures.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Funding: This research has been funded by WASCAL (West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use) through Germany Federal Minister of Education and High Research and by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Freiburg/Germany.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Renaud, Professor Fabrice
• Authors: Sanogo, N. D. M., Dayamba, S. D., Renaud, F. G., and Feurer, M.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social & Environmental Sustainability
• Journal Name: Land
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-445X
• ISSN (Online): 2073-445X
• Published Online: 24 November 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 by the authors
• First Published: First published in Land 11(12): 2117
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License