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Spatial organization and adaptation strategy to drought of the nomads of the Arguin Bench National Park Volume 19, issue 4, octobre-novembre-décembre 2008

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Observatoire du Parc National du Banc d’Arguin Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser BP 53 55 Nouakchott Mauritanie, Filières animales Cirad-ES Campus international de Baillarguet TA 30/A 34398 Montpellier cedex France

The Arguin Bench National Park (National Park Banc d’Arguin, NPBA), with a surface of 12,000 km 2 situated on both sides of the twentieth parallel and running over 180 km along the Atlantic littoral of Mauritania is composed of both maritime and land areas. The land area is part of the Tasiast, a pastoral region for many centuries. After representing one of the main steps of the Mauritanian nomadic transhumance for a long time, for several decennials and more particularly over the last 70-80 years, the pastoral potential of this territory has decreased. Rivers have, the number of wells and their flow have decreased after regular droughts occurring in the NPBA as throughout Mauritania. This climatic failure has led to irregularity of pasture lands along with disaffection by a wide part of the nomadic population and their herds. The pastoralist population linked to the Park territory has adopted a strategy adapted to the drought. This strategy is based on: 1) herd mobility; 2) zoning in small groups managed by shepherds and/or some members of the owner’s family; 3) a range extension covering four regions (Adrar, Inchiri, Zemmour et Trarza); 4) feeding supplementation for animals (wheat, mil sometimes); 5) and diversification of human activities: fishing and tourist camp management.