SUSTAINABLE WETLAND MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE RISKS IN NIGER: THE CASE OF LA MARE DE TABALAK

The report examines the vulnerability of La Mare de Tabalak, a Ramsar site in Niger's Tahoua region, to climate hazards, specifically recurring droughts and occasional floods. Using hydrological modelling (SWAT) and field surveys, the study finds that while the pond is vital for agrosilvopastoral activities, it is threatened by silting, invasive species, and high population pressure. It recommends improving intercommunal governance, establishing continuous environmental monitoring, and accelerating restoration efforts to ensure the wetland's sustainability.

• La Mare de Tabalak and its residents are highly vulnerable to recurring droughts, which lead to reduced water levels, decreased agrosilvopastoral production, and frequent food crises.
• While floods can damage infrastructure, local communities generally view them positively as they provide abundant water that increases fishing and agricultural production.
• The wetland is suffering from significant environmental degradation caused by silting, the spread of invasive plant species, and overexploitation of resources by a growing population.
• Hydrological modelling using the SWAT tool suggests that pond water levels may vary less in the future because projected climate scenarios are less variable than historical records, though this requires further validation.
• The pond is estimated to be shrinking by approximately 1 percent per year due to sediment transport, potentially losing 28 to 33 percent of its total volume by 2050.
• Gender inequality exacerbates vulnerability, as women often have significantly lower incomes than men and more limited access to resources, despite playing a key role in market gardening and fish trading.
• Local adaptation strategies include diversifying livelihoods into market gardening and fishing, and developing small-scale irrigation via groundwater boreholes to reduce reliance on rain-fed crops.
• Many local responses to climate stress are unsustainable 'strategies of last resort,' such as selling off livestock, relying on food aid, or migrating to urban centers.
• Niger's national climate risk management is fragmented between the National Environment Council for Sustainable Development (CNEDD), focused on adaptation, and the Early Warning System (EWS), focused on disaster risk reduction.
• There is a severe institutional deficit in wetland management, with only four of Niger's 12 Ramsar sites having finalized management plans.
• Priority actions for the sustainability of La Mare de Tabalak include establishing joint resource management across the six communes in the watershed and creating a continuous environmental monitoring system.

APA

Dekens, J., Nazoumou, Y., Zamudio-Trigo, A. N., Adamou, M. M., Hambally, Y., & McCandless, M. (2013). SUSTAINABLE WETLAND MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE RISKS IN NIGER: THE CASE OF LA MARE DE TABALAK. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_niger.pdf

Chicago

Dekens, Julie, Yahaya Nazoumou, Alicia Natalia Zamudio-Trigo, Mahaman Moustapha Adamou, Yacouba Hambally, and Matt McCandless. SUSTAINABLE WETLAND MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE RISKS IN NIGER: THE CASE OF LA MARE DE TABALAK. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2013. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_niger.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dekens |first1=Julie |last2=Nazoumou |first2=Yahaya |last3=Zamudio-Trigo |first3=Alicia Natalia |last4=Adamou |first4=Mahaman Moustapha |last5=Hambally |first5=Yacouba |last6=McCandless |first6=Matt |title=SUSTAINABLE WETLAND MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE RISKS IN NIGER: THE CASE OF LA MARE DE TABALAK |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_niger.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dekens2013sustainable, author = {Dekens, Julie and Nazoumou, Yahaya and Zamudio-Trigo, Alicia Natalia and Adamou, Mahaman Moustapha and Hambally, Yacouba and McCandless, Matt}, title = {{SUSTAINABLE WETLAND MANAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE RISKS IN NIGER: THE CASE OF LA MARE DE TABALAK}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_niger.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }