Biodiversity Stewardship in a Social-Economical Challenged Environment: A Look into Niger and Desertification
Biodiversity Stewardship in a Social-Economical Challenged Environment : A Look into Niger and Desertification David A. Cleveland Area Study: Niger ( Focused area Niamey, Niger ) Focus: Desertification in Niger The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) stated in 2006 that over 250 million people from the regions of Mongolia to Africa faced concerns directly related to desertification (The New Humanitarian, 2006). Niger strives to curve this issue by preserving natural vegetation and planting trees. Researchers in the W National Park (Park W) indicated 10 to 20 times more trees than 30 years earlier. Additional efforts to manage 1,500 hectares of dunes reached 1.5 billion CFA, equivalent to 2.8 million US dollars. The project targeted threatened roads, communities, and croplands. Although Nigeriens made significant gains toward curving the growth of desertification, the growing popula