Revisiting tree species availability and usage in the Ferlo region of Senegal: a rationale for indigenous tree planting strategies in the context of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative.

In the last several decades, the Sahel has undergone desertification due to a combination of climatic and anthropogenic factors. In order to identify the most appropriate native tree species for reforestation activities, woody species inventories were performed and coupled to ethnobotanical surveys in the vicinity of four villages (Tessekere-Forage, Widou-Thiengoly, Labgar, and Lougre-Thiolly) in the Ferlo region of the Senegalese Sahel. In general, the region is characterized by a low degree of biodiversity with only 20 tree and shrub species represented by 13 different families. Questionnaires and semistructured interviews with local populations identified seventeen tree species that are commonly used for food, construction, energy, health, commerce, and handicrafts. The most highly cited tree species was Balanites aegyptiaca which was also the most abundant in the study region. In contrast, other species including Grewia bicolor, Ziziphus mauritiana, Adansonia digitata, and Sclerocarya birrea came under the categories of most highly cited for their various uses but have become rare in nature, making them ideal candidates for reforestation trials. This study is particularly timely in that the Ferlo region is currently undergoing major ecological restoration efforts in the framework of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative.