Mali

Biodiversity Conservation and Participatory Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Inner Niger Delta and its Transition Area, Mopti Region

Context: The inner Niger delta, a vast wetland of almost 30,000 km², together with its transition zones, is one of the largest inner deltas in the world. Because of its dynamics and particular location in a Sahelian arid and semi-arid zone, it hosts unique biodiversity, including three sites named in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

The delta’s population of about 622,000 inhabitants is 90 per cent rural. Most people depend on natural resources for their food and income. Despite its natural potential, the area is crucially affected by poverty and inadequate access to primary infrastructure – particularly among rural people and especially among women living in poverty.

Global benefits: Conservation of biodiversity of global significance in the inner Niger delta.

Strategy: Promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity resources of global value in the inner delta of the Niger River while promoting the positive effects and mitigating the negative impacts of agricultural practices on biological diversity in agroecosystems and their interface with natural ecosystems; reverse the process of degradation by empowering local communities to identify their own priority needs in order to improve living conditions, education, food security and access to health services.

IFAD-GEF synergies: The project is part of the IFAD-financed Sahelian Areas Development Fund Programme within the framework of the Flexible Lending Mechanism. The programme’s aim is to establish a participatory and sustainable development process for the Sahelian regions of Mali.

The GEF intervention has been designed to complement and enhance the IFAD programme by supporting the formulation and implementation of community-based management plans and targeted investments to restore and conserve the most threatened ecosystems of the inner Niger delta.

Source: IFAD