Case 3-11 Habitat improvement through mangrove plantation: case of the Saloum Delta in central Senegal

In the village of Djirnda in the Saloum Delta, women began voluntarily planting mangroves around 1990. They felt that the mangroves around their village were deteriorating, and that fishing was declining. The mangroves planted by the women grew to 1-2 meters in the first ten years. The mangrove planting initiated by the village women was supported by the project, as they wanted to expand their mangrove forest.

In the village of Djirnda, a mangrove planting day was set once a year. To prepare for this day, the village women collect viviparous mangrove seeds from around the village. On the day of the planting, all the women of the village are present, divided into two groups: those in charge of planting mangroves and those in charge of preparing lunch. About 50 women go to the planting site, singing and dancing to the rhythm of spherical calabashes and drums. They carry cloth bags on their heads filled with mangrove seeds that they have collected up to the day before.

During planting, many women line up in rows and begin planting the viviparous seeds in a manner similar to Japanese rice planting. Next to them, three women mark the rhythm with calabashes and drums, and the other women work to the rhythm. Between operations, they can ease their thirst with an Arabic tea called ‘ataya’. The rhythm of the drums sets the tempo for the work. Lunch, prepared in the village by another group, arrives at the plantation. Rice, fish and vegetables are served in several large bowls, and the women enjoy their meal together under the blue sky after finishing their work. For the women, mangrove planting day is like a festival.

In the village of Djirnda, mangrove planting has become part of the annual village calendar, and the women who play the main role in this activity look forward to this day as if it were a festival. This is an instructive example for the sustainability of fisheries resource management activities.

Chapter 3 Implementation of resource management measures

Methods to improve the habitat of the resource include the establishment of protected areas and restricted fishing areas to preserve the nursery grounds of juvenile fish, the creation of artificial fish reefs to create nursery grounds, and the planting of mangroves to serve as nursery grounds.

When trying to promote mangrove planting activities as part of efforts to conserve mangrove areas that serve as nursery grounds for fish and shellfish, this case, which pertains to women enjoying themselves while planting mangroves as an annual village event, is an effective reference.