Sustainable Management of Water and Fisheries in Burkina Faso (Susfish Project)

1. Filmtage 2012: Wasser Vienna, 23 March 2012 Sustainable Management of Water and Fisheries in Burkina Faso (Susfish Project) Dr. Raymond OUEDRAOGO General Directorate for Fisheries & Aquaculture Ministry of Environment & Sustainable Development Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Email: ouedray@yahoo.com Dr. Gabriele Slezak Department of African Studies University of Vienna Email: gabriele.slezak@univie.ac.at

2. Burkina Faso: name, location, climate Sahel: arid area Rain: 450-1100 mm/yr mainly in July-Sept Evaporation: > 2500 mm/yr Ouagadougou • Francophone country • Former name: Upper Volta • Change in 1985, under President Thomas SANKARA • Burkina: correctness, integrity in moré, the 1st national language • Faso: father’s home, home land, in dioula the 2nd language • Burkinabe: • Bè: from in foulfoulde (or peulh), the 3rd national language • Not “Republic of Burkina Faso” but “Burkina Faso” . River Volta

3. The population • Country size: 274200 Km2 • 3rd poorest country in 2006 • Population: • Fast growing population • Density: 37 pers./km², • >100 pers./km² in the central part

4. Distribution of reservoirs and population Reservoirs in Africa Population in Burkina Faso Reservoirs in Burkina Faso • Burkina Faso: Creation of > 1450 reservoirs of 0-25000 ha each • 85% of surface water stocked in reservoirs • The higher the population density, the higher the density of reservoirs • In Africa: leading country in water res. develop. & managmt

5. Trends: Increasing need of water and fish • Purpose of reservoirs creation: make water available to any use • Actual main uses: irrigation, livestock breeding, fisheries, hydropower • Increasing production of fish at national level thanks to the reservoirs Reservoirs development and fish production

6. Decreasing of production of fish in individual water bodies Bagré, the largest reservoir of Burkina, 25000 ha, built in 1992: Decrease of fish production Decrease of the number of fishermen: 607 in 2001 and 475 in 2009

7. Some problems in the water sphere: sedimentation Water flow under or shortly after a rain • Sediments transportation in a water body • Pesticides • Fertilizers

8. Illustration of rural livelihoods strategy • Main activities of a fisherman: • Fishing (canoe): additional activity, 40 % of annual income • Agriculture (irrigated & rain fed) and lifestock breeding: 55 % • Other activities: 5% • Earning from fishing 681 € /year > 165 € as poverty threshold in 2010 • But the fishermen and their families remain poor

9. The decrease of landings: livelihoods jeopardized Past or protected areas: much fish, big fishes, many species Current trend: decreasing fish landings, small fishes, less species Problematic share of tiny fish among women fish processors

10. Sand extraction Anthropic pressures on waters in Burkina Faso Dams Fish River catchment Rain fed & irrigated agricult. Water Roads & traffic Deforestation Livestock breeding Fishing Urbanization Water abstraction

11. Genesis of Susfish • 2007-2010: Raymond PhD studies at BOKU-University, supervised by Dr. MELCHER and Prof. SCHMUTZ • Financed by the ADC (Austrian Development Cooperation) • At the end of my studies • Originality of Susfish: A southern national “development” institution in the South identified key scientific problems in their sphere of work and asked national and northern researchers to help • Preparatory and main phases funded by APPEAR Water music, 07/01/2009, Funerals in Sika Village, Province of Bam, Burkina Faso

12. Objectives of Susfish • Overall goal: build capacity to study, monitor and manage sustainable fisheries • Develop water management and assessment methods based on fish and applicable in Burkina Faso • Evaluate existing data for fish, environment and pressures • Analyze the relationships between pressures (ex. overfishing) and the dynamics in fish assemblages and in water quality. • Develop ecological awareness • Support the use and the dissemination the results in education, workshops and conferences.

13. Expected results and their use of results • Expected main results • Tools for ecological monitoring of waters in Burkina • Increase scientific knowledge in fisheries: natural, socio-economic and policies • Results will be used to improve • Formulation & implementation of fish and waters policies, food security and health care • Education (universities and agricultural schools) • Make recommendations for the use of results to create a national data base on fisheries and to support policies formulation and implementation. • 4 students will be awarded an APPEAR- scholarship to study in BOKU

14. Contribution to poverty reduction, gender • Women: • 10 % of the 32700 Burkinabe fishermen are women • 26 % of the 3400 fishsellers • 70% of the 4300 fish processors (smokers, …) • Why are the fishermen poor despite the substantial return from fishing? • Analysis missing connections of traditional (indigenous) and republican institutions • Susfish is a research project • Expert in gender: ensure that gender is considered: socio-economic and management of waters & fisheries • Results to be used in water & fisheries development policies formulation and implementation, which is a contribution to poverty reduction

15. The partners and their domains of work

16. Summary • Background • Good traditional knowledge on fish • Poor scientific knowledge on fish biodiversity • Lack of knowledge concerning human pressures • Reservoirs are necessary for the socio-economic development • Susfish perspectives • Capacity building and adaptive management • Education

17. I am grateful to: • The ADC and OEAD for having invited me to the present meeting • BOKU-University (Dr. Andreas MELCHER) Thanks for your attention Pictures 1- 12 March 2012 in Burkina Faso