U.S. Department of the Interior

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Monitoring On-Farm Re-Greening in Niger and
Burkina G. Gray Tappan Earth Resources
Observation and Science Center (EROS) U.S.
Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological
Survey
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• Themes
• Provide visuals landscape changes getting the
  word out
• Challenges in assessing agro-environmental
  changes
• On-farm re-greening in Niger geographic scale
  and trends
• Land rehabilitation on the Central Plateau of
  Burkina Faso

Two Focus Areas
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• Challenges in Monitoring Agro-Environmental
  Transformations
• Farmers dont tell you when theyve made land
  improvements
• Biophysical changes occur on a vast geographic
  scale
• Distinguishing climate versus anthropogenic
  factors is complicated
• Visual evidence of benefits often not apparent
  in less than 3-4 years
• Significant biophysical changes may take a
  decade or more
• Time-series mapping of land cover is problematic

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Remote Sensing A Key Tool

• Synoptic perspective
• Unique vantage point
• Extra-visual information
• Historical and permanent record

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Powerful tools Cessna 182, GPS and a 35 mm camera
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Southern Niger in 1997 Early Evidence of
Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration
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Enlargement from a Landsat Image, October
2000 Tree Parklands not visible (South of Aguié,
Niger)
0 5 km
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Niger Land Use and Land Cover
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Agricultural Parkland east of Matamèye
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Tree Parkland Dominated by Faidherbia albida
(gao) Leaf-off Stage in the Rainy Season
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Quickbird Satellite Image South of Zinder Dense
Tree Parklands in 2005
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General Extent of Farmer-Managed Natural
Regeneration
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Quickbird Image of Medium Density Tree Parkland
East of Maradi, Oct. 2005
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Extent and Density of Tree Cover Across Southern
Niger
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Landscape Dynamics Southwest of Zinder
1975
2005
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1955
Landscape Dynamics Southwest of Zinder
2005
1975
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1955
Landscape Dynamics Southwest of Zinder
2005
1975
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Percent Tree Cover Trend in the Study Area
(Mirria-Magaria-Matameye Triangle)
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Tree Biomass Measurements, 1 hectare plots,
Niger, March 2007
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Parkland Renaissance trees are young and growing
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Example of a Mature Faidherbia albida Parkland
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1983
Long-term monitoring of on-farm tree cover in
Senegal Fodder An Aerial Pasture
1994
1983
2003
1996
1998
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Impact of a Single Gao Tree on Crop Growth
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Landscape in Niger 8.5 km North of the
Niger-Nigeria Border
Source Google Earth, 2005
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Landscape in Nigeria 1.5 km south of the
Niger-Nigeria Border
Source Google Earth, 2005
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Maerua crassifolia
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The Two Focus Areas
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Ranawa, Burkina Turning barren zipélé into
cropland
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Ranawa, Burkina Turning barren zipélé into
cropland
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Time series aerial photography of Ranawa
1984
1968
1968
2002
1996
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Ranawa in 2002 Detail
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Many grass-root successes in re-greening remain
to be uncovered across the Sahel
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Many thanks for funding and support U.S. Agency
for International Development / Econ. Growth
Trade U.S. Geological Survey / EROS / Land Cover
Applications Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation CILSS (Permanent Interstate
Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel)