3.1. In situ conservation activities
3.2. Ex situ conservation activities
3.3. Selection and genetic improvement
3.4. National priority species
Protected areas
The forest resources are unevenly distributed between the north and south, between the states, and between provinces within states. Only, 32% of the forests exist in the north while 68% are in the south. However, the population distribution is opposite to that of forest with 72% of the population lives in the north and 28% in the south. This resulted in high pressure on the forest resources in the northern parts of the country.
The forest reserves are generally those areas where the cutting of trees is concentrated and replanting made immediately after felling. The constituted and gazetted forest reserves covered 1.278.000 ha by 1979, distributed as: 167,000 ha in the semi desert, 547,000 in the low rainfall woodland savannah and 564,000 in the high rainfall woodland savannah. The reserved area was increased substantially after 1993 (following the Rio declaration) to reach 8 million ha (2.8% of the country area) distributed in the different vegetation replanting zones. Due to the control of cuttings of trees and replanting using bulk seeds from natural stands, the genetic resources are reasonably conserved.
Forests legislation also controls tree cutting outside forest reserves with the objective of forest reserves. This measure of concentrating felling within the reserves reduces the pressure on natural stands and consequently helps in conserving genetic resources.
Bio-reserves, exclusively for wildlife, are distributed in the different vegetation zones. Eight national parks were established with a total area of 8.5 million ha. The parks are administered by the Department of Wildlife, whose ordinance established in 1953, prohibits the felling of trees. The national parks therefore contribute significantly to the conservation of genetic resources especially in the low savannah woodlands in the north, which had been degraded as a result of over cutting.
Forest enrichment or plantation
Reforestation and afforestation programs run by the Forests National Corporation (FNC) is one of the activities that result in conservation of resources. Except in few cases, seeds are from the natural stands collected as bulk by inhabitants for the FNC. The National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC), under the FRC, has identified and described 79 sources in an area of about 6,000 ha. The NTSC also collects seeds for the FNC from natural stands.
An ex situ conservation program based on tree seed storage has recently been established. This program also entails a long-term strategy consisting of establishment of seed sources to ensure good quality seeds in the long run. A National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC) was established in 1990 under the FRC with the objectives of providing of seeds for the FNC afforestation and reforestation programs and resource conservation. The consumption of forest tree seed was estimated as 135 tons per year and expected to reach 600 tons, shortly. A. senegal accounts for almost 65% of the present seed use, followed by A. nilotica, A. seyal, and A. mellifera. The exotic species account for less than 10% of the present use.
Beside the introduction of exotic species, mainly Eucalyptus spp. that started in 1915 little effort has been made in tree improvement. The few attempts include:
Provenance trials and studies are concentrated on Acacia senegal, Acacia seyal, Acacia nilotica and Faidherbia albida.
Genetic studies, tree improvement activities and germplasm conservation efforts are minimal and limited to Acacia senegal, Acacia nilotica, Faidherbia albida and Eucalyptus camaldulensis.
The most important species according to their products and values are: Acacia senegal, Acacia nilotica, Acacia seyal, Acacia mellifera, Eucalyptus spp and Khaya senegalensis.
Prosopis chilensis, an introduced species, was once considered as a priority species because of its drought tolerance and fuelwood supply. Due to its invasion to agricultural land, measures are taken to eradicate it from the country.
