Local perceptions of vegetation change and priorities for conservation of woody-savanna vegetation in Senegal

Ethnobotanical information relevant to the management of savanna vegetation was obtained through interviews with 57 elderly villagers living near Delta du Saloum National Park, Senegal. Local people had observed a change in the local environment from forest to savanna during their lifetime and considered it primarily a result of frequent intensive fires and declining rainfall. Most people preferred the woody vegetation to be dense. In particular, nine woody species were useful for construction, 10 for protection in agricultural fields, 19 for medicine and 10 for livestock fodder. Some of the locally highly preferred species were also considered to be declining in the local environment, they included Cordyla pinnata, Pterocarpus erinaceus, Daniellia oliveri, Parkia biglobosa, Khaya senegalensis and Pericopsis laxiflora. Highly preferred and declining species were characteristically large trees, non-thorny, with edible fruits and of Sudano-Guinean to Guinean affinity. The study furthermore identified a close coincidence between the interest in conserving tree species diversity in protected areas and the priorities of local people which included preservation of plenty of large frees (including many fruit trees), maintenance of a variety of species, improvement of woody regeneration, and reduction of fire intensity and frequency. Focusing management strategies on increasing populations of such declining and highly preferred species, by active fire protection for instance, would enhance the natural resource value considerably and thereby the quality of life for the local people. (C) 2000 Academic Press.