The IUCN Sahelian Floodplain Initiative: Networking to Build Capacity to Manage Sahelian Floodplain Resources Sustainably

To build the capacity of institutions in Sahelian West Africa, to plan and manage floodplain resources sustainably, IUCN established the Sahelian Wetlands Expert Group (SAWEG). It brings together many specialists including water engineers, health experts, ecologists and legal experts from organizations such as universities and river basin development authorities in Nigeria, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Gambia and Cameroon. In a series of meetings, members made presentations on topics ranging from water-quality modelling to participatory rural appraisal and discussed cross-sectoral issues including training needs, legislation and the role of local communities in floodplain resource management. The outputs are being drawn together into guidelines for improved floodplain management.This process is sensitizing members to a wide range of issues related to floodplain management and the need for interdisciplinary cooperation to solve them.