Project for the Management and Restoration of Degraded Lands in the Groundnut Basin

1. Republic of Senegal Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature, Reservoirs and Artificial Lakes • Project for the Management and Restoration of Degraded Lands in the Groundnut Basin

2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE I. Project Description • Objectives • Intervention area • Implementation strategy II. Outcome III. Lessons learnt and Way Forward

3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION • Issues • Senegal: a Sahelian country located in the westernmost area of the continent, extending over 196 720 km² with a population of 11 million inhabitants, approximately 60.5% rural, characterized by: • the degradation of its natural resources. • population growth rates of 2.9% in urban areas and 2.1% in rural areas • Over 65% of the land (12,711,000 ha) are degraded, due among others to a trading economy based mainly on groundnut mono-cropping, soil exhaustion, the absence of fallow and the degradation of the vegetation cover, particularly in the groundnut basin.

4. PROJECT OBJECTIVES, DURATION AND COSTS PROGERT Objective: Catalyze sustainable land management using a landscape approach in order to combat land degradation and reduce poverty. Duration: 5 years Effective start-up date:1 October2007 Budget: GEF: US$3,655,728 UNDP: US$500,000 Government: - Cash: US$623,000 - In-kind: US$778,112

5. PROGERT INTERVENTION AREA SENEGAL’S GAZETTED FORESTS Protected areas

6. STRATEGY & INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT • The basic strategy is the “landscape approach”, a holistic, participatory approach taking into account the geographic, technical, institutional, social and economic dimensions. • It is applied through a thematic and zonal process.

7. MEPNBRLA /DEFCCS Project Steering Committee (MEF -MEF Project Coordination Unit (PCU) Coord/Exp SE/Ass/Fin/Acctng/Supp Consultation Frameworks Regional Development Agencies Decentralized Technical Services / NGOs Local Project Unit (LPU) Chief & Technicians Louga LPU Chief & Techni- cians Thiès LPU Chief Expert in microproject management &Technicians Diourbel LPU Chief & TechniciansFatick Reinforced LPU Chief Participation Expert Technicians Kaolack CRs, CADLs & Technical Services CRs, CADLs & Technical Services CRs, CADLs & Technical Services CRs, CADLs & Technical Services CRs, CADLs & Technical Services

8. MAIN ACCOMPLISHMENTS

9. Management of tillable land fertility • Elaboration of 6 out of 15 local development plans for enhanced integration of sustainable land management; • Establishment of 135 ha of ecologically sustainable fields for demonstration, out of a target of 200 ha; • Evaluation of carbon sequestration potential of the project’s 15 operational sites; • Restoration of 270 ha of saline lands, i.e. 50% of the target.

10. Sustainable use of lands and pastures • Establishment of five pastoral units for a total of 55,000 ha • Enclosure and participatory management of 2,200 ha of community or gazetted forests, i.e. 30% of the target; • Creation of 100 km of fire-breaks in the Louga and Kaffrine regions, i.e. 50% of the target; • Establishment of a Monitoring & Evaluation and capitalization scheme.

11. Promotion of Sustainable Livelihoods • Creation of two revolving credit schemes for the population – Village Savings and Credit Banks – aimed at supporting income-generating activities linked to sustainable land management.

12. LESSONS LEARNT AND WAY FORWARD

13. The PROGERT institutional location at decentralized services level promotes exchanges between decision-makers and the population within enhanced partnerships, for a more global vision transcending administrative limits with greater focus on ecogeographic entities and creating forums around memoranda. • The natural resources management models developed by the project promote greater accountability on the part of the local actors; this requires an intervention extending over a period of at least ten years.

14. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION