Harouna Sana | June 20, 2024
News Brief
Mamadou Ouattara returns from his orchard on a May afternoon, passing through the lush Comoé-Léraba forest, with towering trees and vibrant birdsong. The local farmer says, "The forest is our source of life. We derive a lot of income from it, such as honey, fruits, etc. That's why we organize ourselves to protect it." The forest lies on the banks of the Comoé River and its tributary, the Léraba, in the Cascades region of southwestern Burkina Faso. Since 2001, the Burkinabe government has granted management of these resources to an association that includes 17 riverside villages, which has organized residents into village committees. Mr. Ouattara is the president of the village committee of Ouangolodougou. He explains that the committees raise awareness among community members about good forest management practices and wise use of natural resources.
Ouangolodougou is a village in the commune of Niangoloko, about 60 kilometres from Banfora in the Cascades region of southwestern Burkina Faso. Mamadou Ouattara, a local farmer, returns from his orchard on a May afternoon, passing through the lush Comoé-Léraba forest. He says, “The forest is our source of life. We derive a lot of income from it, such as honey, fruits, etc. That’s why we organize ourselves to protect it.” The forest lies on the banks of the Comoé River and its tributary, the Léraba, in a transitional zone from savannah to dense humid forest. Towering trees and vibrant birdsong highlight the forest’s abundance.
Riverside communities protect the Comoé-Léraba in order to benefit from its natural resources. And since 2001, the Burkinabe government has granted management of these resources to an association that includes 17 riverside villages, which organized residents into village committees.
Mr. Ouattara is the president of the village committee of Ouangolodougou. He explains that the committees raise awareness among community members about good forest management practices and wise use of natural resources.
The committee appoints community members as guards and tasks them with protecting the forest from illegal human or animal encroachment, as well as poaching, unsustainable logging, and gold mining, in collaboration with the forestry service. The committee also builds firebreaks to prevent fire outbreaks. These are three- to five-metre wide vegetation-free corridors created around and within the forest to prevent bushfires from spreading through the forest.
To ensure that community members use resources wisely, the committee educates people on the best times to pick forest fruits and encourages residents to plant useful trees such as néré (Parkia biglobosa), shea, and baobab in the forest.
Mamadou Karama is the executive director of the inter-village association. Mr. Karama says that population growth and climate change are putting pressure on the Comoé-Léraba forest, adding that plundering of resources and drought are worsening forest degradation. Armed groups have occupied parts of the forest in recent years, making protection and restoration efforts impossible.
Despite these challenges, Mr. Karama says that the Comoé-Léraba forest remains rich in biodiversity, with 301 species of plants, 123 species of mammals, and 490 species of birds.
To preserve this richness, he advises communities to restore degraded lands on the forest edge by reforesting individual parcels of land, practising farmer-managed natural regeneration, and using other agroforestry techniques.
Mr. Ouattara says that the forest provides him with income that enriches his life. He has beehives, mango trees, and a cashew farm, and earns more than 700,000 CFA francs ($1,150 US) each year.
Fatouma Ouattara is the president of the An-houmafa women’s group in Noffesso, one of the 17 riverside villages in the forest. She says her life depends heavily on the forest, and adds, “Thanks to the forest fruits, I make shea butter and soumbala that I sell. I earn more than 200,000 CFA francs, or $332, per year.” With her income, Mrs. Ouattara contributes to her children’s education and her family’s health.
Asked to imagine the forest disappearing one day, she sighs and says, “Ah! Hmm! This forest is essential for our survival. It must be preserved!”
Photo: Community gathering in Burkina Faso, captured in 2024 by Harouna Sana
