The ecologically vulnerable zone of the sahelian countries

This series of the Atlas examines the ecologically vulnerable zone of the sahelian countries in a West African regional context. In the following text, this zone will be referred to as the Sahel’s vulnerable zone.

Work carried out on the Sahel’s vulnerable zone is based on close collaboration with the CILSS [1] and its Agrhymet Regional Centre (CRA) [2] to capitalise on their expertise and knowledge. CILSS member-countries often have to grapple with food shortages although the zone also defined as “agropastoral” undoubtedly suffers the most and its inhabitants are usually considered the region’s poorest and its children the most vulnerable. Based on available data, this survey describes from a macro regional perspective this zone, its people and how they live. It shows how structurally vulnerable their pastoralists and agropastoralists are. We hope that this series will encourage strategic thinking on structural regional solutions to this vulnerability, quite apart from the emergency aid this area frequently requires.