Forestry and forestry research in the Sahel : an overview

The paper first reviews the general status of forestry research throughout Sahelian West Africa; research accomplishments and priorities are surveyed, the latter including technical, social, and economic topics. The second section synopsizes the forestry situations in Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Burkina Faso; details are provided on forests, forest resource use, current donor involvement, and A.I.D. activities in each country. The report concludes that Sahelian forestry research institutes suffer an acute lack of finances, staff, and prestige, and heavily rely on foreign financing and technical expertise. Most of the relatively little research conducted thus far has been accomplished by the French Centre Technique Forestier Tropical and has centered on technical topics. Recommendations are made regarding the need to assist existing national forestry research institutions, to specialize technical research according to ecological zone (rather than have each country conduct the same studies), and to disseminate research results.