Threat to the 'heart of Sahelian life systems'

Described as the 'heart of Sahelian life systems' (Thompson and Polet, 2000), African floodplains are important environments both from an ecological and socio-economic point of view. In Sub-Saharan Africa, floodplains contribute to the livelihoods of millions of people, thus making them an integral part of their survival. 

Just like my previous blogpost regarding ITK, African floodplains reveals indigenous systems of water resource management (Adams, 1993).

In this blogpost, I will not only highlight the different ways in which floodplains benefit the communities that surround it, but I will also cover some of the threats they may be facing. This is a critical analysis because of the vital nature of floodplains —it is therefore important to think of ways to preserve them.

There exists various kinds of floodplains in Africa and these environments provide significant resources to the people that live not only within their boundaries but also well beyond. 

Most obviously, floodplains provide water which can be used for irrigation purposes as well as power and domestic usage. Their dynamic nature places them among the most productive and diverse ecosystems in the world (Tockner et al. 2008). 

The Inner Niger Delta (IND), for example, is situated in the Sahelian zone in Mali, and it is one of the largest floodplains in the world (Liersch et al. 2012). It is estimated to support around 900,000 people (Caballero, 2014), and when it relates to food production the IND supports the sectors of agriculture, fishery and livestock. 

In agriculture more specifically, indigenous use and exploitation of floodplains is very intricate and reflects on Africa's diverse tradition of irrigation. This includes both the creation of water transfer or the use of natural flood patterns in floodplains (Adams, 1993). 

The IND  also provides grazing for one million cattle and around 2 million sheep and goats (Adams, 1993). The floodplain is all the more indispensable in Mali because of its landlocked nature. 

Similar effects can be noticed across the continent. In Northeastern Nigeria, the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands makes it one of the most productive areas of the region and supports over a million farmers.

Hadejia Nguru wetlands 

Despite their many benefits, however, floodplains are being threatened. The increasing population in SSA and the simultaneous increased efforts in achieving food security has lead to an expansion in hydrological and agricultural projects within floodplains (Barbier and Thompson 1998). Presently, due to these development projects, floodplains are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world (Tockner et al. 2008). The endangerment of floodplains is also due to climate change. The more intensive precipitation events over the years could increase the possibility of abrupt changes in floodplains — this would impact the environments' productivity.

In Nigeria, the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, have been threatened by reduced rainfall in recent years, the growing population and the constructions of dams. This is because, although the construction of dams appears to be an evident solution to meet demands for irrigation, power or other uses, it is not always the case as they can fail to meet basic economic and social goals, as well as cause a reduction in flooding (Goldsmith and Hildyard, 1986). Reduced flooding in turn forces a change in habitual cropping patterns (Adams, 1993).

The problems and questions raised when it comes to the management of floodplains do not possess simple or clear cut solutions, as no two wetland environments are identical, nor do they provide the same benefits. It is critical that any plans to exploit the environment through the installation of dams, for example, be carefully considered. Dams are not always a solution. The hydrological simulation of the Hadejia-Jama'are basin, for example, reveals that the reduced productivity of the area that would ensue from the implementation of water resource developments would not be replaced by yields from formal irrigation (Thompson and Hollis 1995). 

Thus, floodplains evidently represent a natural resource to the continent that aids in the quest for food security. It is therefore imperative that these environments be properly governed so as to sustain the services and productivity that they have been delivering for centuries, while simultaneous being preserved. Building new dams does not appear to be most efficient way to increase the productivity of floodplains and their surrounding regions, instead efforts should aim to improve the efficiency of these naturally productive environments.