Local Ecological Knowledge Indicates Pathways Towards Equitable and Sustainable Management of the Sudano-Guinean Savanna

Strategies for equitably managing savannas are urgently needed as these ecosystems undergo significant social and ecological changes that threaten their sustainability and the livelihoods of those that depend upon them. Using snowball sampling, we interviewed 28 key informants in Velingara, Senegal, to quantify the relative socio-cultural importance of savanna species and understand the drivers and impacts of environmental change as experienced by local people. We identified 43 species of particularly high socio-cultural importance, only eight of which are considered highly important in other areas of Senegal and West Africa, which underscores the need for local-scale ethnobotanical studies of how livelihoods and cultural values intersect with biophysical changes in West African savannas. Respondents identified a drying trend associated with declines in tree and grass biodiversity. Biodiversity loss was further associated with changing market forces, fire regimes, and an invasive herb. We situate our results within a broader West African ethnobotanical context, and propose four guiding principles to facilitate equitable and sustainable management of Sudano-Guinean savanna: (1) Monitor migration as an adaptation strategy for both humans and plants, (2) Pursue a biocultural approach to savanna restoration, (3) Co-create collaborative strategies for governing the commons, and (4) Develop international, market, and policy-based strategies for curbing local timber harvesting.