Conservación y cooperación al desarrollouna experiencia en Mauritania

  1. Fernández-Palacios Martínez, José María
  2. Tellería Jorge, José Luis
  3. El Mamy Ghaillani, Hamoud
  4. Bartolomé Martín, Juan
  5. Montiano Jorge, Emilio
Journal:
Ecosistemas: Revista científica y técnica de ecología y medio ambiente

ISSN: 1697-2473

Year of publication: 2008

Issue Title: Ecología y desarrollo

Volume: 17

Issue: 2

Pages: 10-16

Type: Article

More publications in: Ecosistemas: Revista científica y técnica de ecología y medio ambiente

Abstract

The Tagant massive, in the Mauritanian Islamic Republic, harbours along an interconnected web of wetlands, the last populations of the desert crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus suchus), until very recently considered to be extinguished. Those populations have been able to withstand the Holocene desertization of the Sahara due to the existence of a number of ponds (gueltas in Arabic) which are formed after the monsoon summer rains and which are interconnected through a number of either transient or permanent water bodies forming the Gabou Lake Basin. These wetlands, without any protection to the moment, constitute the base of the more than forty thousands Tagant inhabitants economy, mainly based in the livestock and a poor agriculture. Aware of the important naturalistic potential of the zone, the Government of Mauritania, asked our NGO to prepare a candidature for the Ramsar wetlands Convention (UNESCO), in order to achieve its international knowledge and protection status. The present work tries to explain how the use of the desert crocodile as focal species for the protection of these important wetlands can as well serve for the local development of the region, through the implementation of a sustainable tourism activity based in the attractiveness of the Tagant's natural heritage to scientists and naturalists.