Natural Resource Management and Decentralisation: Towards Comanagement in Mali?

Abstract

"In this paper, I will first present three recent paradigm shifts within Sahelian natural resource management. In the presentation, I will try to show how these new paradigms point towards and justify decentralisation and delegation of responsibility from the state to local communities when it comes to natural resource management. The 'Sahelian' literature on this topic talks about the new role of the state as 'enabling,' so far without much further discussion of what the role of the state versus that of local communities could be. In the international literature concerning the management of common property resources, the comanagement model has recently received a great deal of attention. This model which has been developed through studies of local fisheries management in the North Sea and in North America could bring some inspiration and new impulses to the Sahelian discussion. The paper briefly presents the comanagement model and the debate around it.

"Following the recent transition to democracy in Mali, a decentralisation reform is about to be implemented. The final part of the paper discusses some of this reform's impact on natural resource management in Mali. It is basically based on some impressions and preliminary findings from a fieldwork in Southern Mali during February and March this year."