In addition, renewable natural resources produce ecosystem services that underpin human existence and welfare. A more productive use of natural resources contributes to increasing food security and raising incomes among the rural poor in the Sahel.
The Danish agency for international development (Danida) commissioned a policy study on experiences from research and interventions in the Sahel with the management of renewable natural resources - soils, water, forests, and biodiversity - for the purpose of food and income generation. The aim of the study was to identify emerging views on trends and changes related to natural resource management (NRM) assistance.
The focus of this sub-study is on local governance institutions in relation to natural resource entitlements, use and decision-making on management in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. In this paper, local institutions refer to structures at the community level or local government. The study explores the range of existing local governance institutions per type of (renewable) resource that is best managed at this level resources and trends. Particular attention will be paid to the influence of customary institutions, projects interventions, and democratic decentralisation.
In all three countries, rural local governments have been put in place following direct elections (Mali 1999, Niger, 2004, Burkina Faso 2006). The paper ends with a brief discussion of possible ways in which development agencies can support local governance institutions for NRM.