The use of GIS and satellite remote sensing techniques for the management of inland dry valley systems of the Sahel: the case of the watershed toposequence of Tanda, Niger

Environmental degradation is a serious problem in the fragile ecosystem of the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa. To test, adopt and extend appropriate technologies to prevent further degradation, remote sensing and GIS technologies were used to identify, and characterize a farmer-manageable in-land dry valley system in Niger. Appropriate land management units were delineated. Interventions that will address specific natural resource management problems specific to each land management unit but also linked to the restitution of other units were tested. This holistic approach has proven successful and it is being extended to regions of similar ecosystems.