S6 - Taking action to reduce security risks by enabling better management over natural resources: project experiences in Mali

Mali is suffering from increasing violent conflicts between herders and sedentary farmers. These conflicts are driven by the increasing impacts of climate change reducing the availability of foodstuff and water. The session presents measures to the adaptation of climate change which have the co-benefits of mitigating these conflicts and thus paving the way to an improvement of the security situation in Mali. They are introduced into the local development plans of the communities by the instrument of “climate proofing” and implemented with the assistance of donor projects. Furthermore, the role of the government in supporting these measures on local level and the value of local knowledge will be discussed. These measures are presented for upscaling also in other regions in the Sahel like the Lake Chad region. 

Objectives:

1. Presentation of innovative measures for the adaptation to climate change as means for mitigating the violent conflicts between herders and sedentary farmers caused by climate change
2. Discussion on institutional and regional issues for improving governance problems and the development planning on regional and local level
3. Presentation of the role of traditional knowledge, land tenure and the strengthening of the civil society as means for mitigating these conflicts

Picture credit: UN Photo/Marco Dormino