Democratic Decentralization, Institutional Pluralism, and Responsibility in the Forest Stock Management: Case Study of the Rural District of Siby, in Mali

Abstract

"Set apart for a long time the management of their natural resources, which constitute the main part of their richness, the rural community of Mali, because of the failure of authoritative policy of the State, have been committed a new role as user and protector of these same resources. Indeed, by favour of opportunities offered by the advent of a recent decentralization and under the impulse of the World Bank and European bilateral partners (dutch and french development agencies) The Malian authorities replied to this new policy given the name of decentralized and participatory natural resources management. The implementation of the rural wood market by the project "Statégie Energie Domestique" strongly inspired by the first regional experience carried out in Niger, responded to this neopopulist preoccupation. This initiative led to the privatization of public area, the commercial use of the forest resources and the multiplication of new local institutions. Moreover it contributed to eject the rural district of Siby of the decision-making process relating to the access and control of resources located on its territory. The fiscal decentralization conceived by the project as the basis of democratic decentralization appeared inoperative and unable to fill up expectancies of the populations and the municipality."