Technical assessment of natural forest management activities in Niger

Both forets classees and domaine protege lands were included in the assessment. Management activities at the sites visited were being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), the International Development Association, and Lutheran World Relief. The overall assessment of the technical activities at these sites is positive. Long-term experience with management activities is limited primarily to the Guesselbodi National Forest. Activities at the other sites have started primarily within the last 2 years. Based on the field observations of this assessment, the relative novelty of natural resource management (NFM) in Niger, and the rapid movement to manage additional natural forest sites within the past 4 years, it is recommended that no new areas be considered for management (under the MAE"s model sites program) until the collective experience of the current sites is examined in detail. The proposed NFM workshop could provide the necessary forum for this to begin. The activities conducted at Guesselbodi have often been too closely copied in other management plans. Each forest is unique and should be managed according to its own priorities. The types of management activities and the intensity of their implementation are determined by a combination of factors. (Some of these include the degree to which the forest is degraded, the ecological zone of the forest, species present on the site, and use by the local population.) There are also serious concerns about how effectively the species being harvested are being regenerated. The long-term effects of continued coppicing are unknown. In addition, this rapid appraisal indicated that natural regeneration from seed of the Combretum spp. may not be adequate. A much closer examination needs to be done to verify this observation. Because the Combretaceae family make up such a large portion of the woody biomass being managed in this zone, a thorough knowledge of their silvics and silviculture is urgently needed. Recurrent costs associated with tree planting on natural forest sites should be carefully weighed. Tree planting, particularly when supported by a central nursery, is an expensive activity. The reestablishment of Andropogon gayansus at most of the sites is greatly appreciated by the local populations. It is also a very economical activity. Secondary products such as this need to be given careful consideration in forest management plans. Finally, the assessment exercise concluded that grazing rights on these forests will be coming more and more to the fore. Forest managers and policymakers need to be actively involved with this issue now. Grazing should be an integral part of the activities outlined in detail in the forest management and annual work plans. (Author abstract)