Sahelian Wetlands

"The Sahel is a semi-arid belt extending across Africa for some 5,500 kilometres, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea . . . The Sahel has plenty of land; what it lacks is water, which makes its wetlands – fed mostly by rivers draining wetter regions to the south – vital resources . . . They expand dramatically when fed by rivers in spate during the wet season, but shrink with the rivers during dry times. These annual flood pulses are vital to the biological health of the wetlands, with the life cycles of many species – including fish, waterbirds, woodland trees and grasses – attuned to the seasonal cycle . . . In a region where 20 million people are categorised by the UN as food-insecure, mainly due to lack of water, the Sahel’s wetlands are a lifeline and a crucial insurance against environmental extremes . . . Most rivers in the Sahel flowed freely until about 1980. But in the aftermath of the great drought of the mid-1970s, many governments and aid agencies built large dams to store water and control their flows with the intention of providing both hydroelectricity and food security . . . The Sahel’s wetlands are becoming smaller, less biologically diverse and less productive . . . Of the 127 bird species crossing the Sahara to overwinter in the Sahelian wetlands, 75 are in decline, including waterbirds such as the Glossy Ibis, Ruff, and Black-tailed Godwit.” The degradation of the Sahelian wetlands poses a significant threat to both the wetland wildlife and the surrounding local communities, who heavily rely on this ecoregion for survival.