[ La perception des éleveurs sur les causes et les conséquences de la régression de l’effectif du mouton Koundoum au Niger ]
Volume 31, Issue 3, December 2020, Pages 418–427
Issa Hamadou1, Seyni Siddo2, Mamman Mani3, Moumouni Issa4, and Marichatou Hamani5
1 Département des Productions Animales, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du , BP: 429 Niamey, Nig, Niger
2 Département des Productions Animales, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du , BP: 429 Niamey, Nig, Niger
3 Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRAN), BP: 429 Niamey, Niger
4 Département des Productions Animales, Faculté d’Agronomie, Université Abdou Moumouni, BP: 10960 Niamey, Niger
5 Faculté d’Agronomie, Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, BP 10960, Niamey, Niger
Original language: French
Copyright © 2020 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
In African countries, the diversity of domestic animals is maintained thanks to traditional agro-pastoral communities. The mutations experienced by these communities result in an erosion of the genetic diversity of which they are the guardians. In response to threats to biological diversity, a convention for its protection was signed in 1992 by several countries, including Niger, therefore committed to conserving the genetic diversity of its livestock breeds. One of these breeds, the Koundoum sheep, is threatened with extinction. The objective of this work is to study the reasons and consequences of this decline, through semi-structured interviews with 104 sheep farmers in the natural habitat of Koundoum. The main reasons given as causes of the decline in the numbers of Koundoum sheep are crossbreeding with other breeds (25.00%), the lack of pasture on the banks of the Niger River (19.23%) and mortality linked to parasitism. (15.38%). Regarding the consequences, this regression was considered damaging for national biodiversity by 7.69% of breeders. 14.42% of breeders think that it is a loss of local cultural values and 9.62% see it as a risk loss of a breed adapted to their land. 42.31% of herders perceive this disappearance primarily as a loss of financial resources. In short, the farmers' responses refer to two distinct phenomena: substitution between breeds and the decrease in the total sheep population in the area. The two phenomena call for different conservation strategies, in situ and ex situ. These should be integrated into a global program involving breeders, scientists and political authorities.
Author Keywords: Perception, biodiversity, genetic erosion, breeders, Koundoum sheep, Niger.
Volume 31, Issue 3, December 2020, Pages 418–427
Issa Hamadou1, Seyni Siddo2, Mamman Mani3, Moumouni Issa4, and Marichatou Hamani5
1 Département des Productions Animales, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du , BP: 429 Niamey, Nig, Niger
2 Département des Productions Animales, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du , BP: 429 Niamey, Nig, Niger
3 Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRAN), BP: 429 Niamey, Niger
4 Département des Productions Animales, Faculté d’Agronomie, Université Abdou Moumouni, BP: 10960 Niamey, Niger
5 Faculté d’Agronomie, Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, BP 10960, Niamey, Niger
Original language: French
Copyright © 2020 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
In African countries, the diversity of domestic animals is maintained thanks to traditional agro-pastoral communities. The mutations experienced by these communities result in an erosion of the genetic diversity of which they are the guardians. In response to threats to biological diversity, a convention for its protection was signed in 1992 by several countries, including Niger, therefore committed to conserving the genetic diversity of its livestock breeds. One of these breeds, the Koundoum sheep, is threatened with extinction. The objective of this work is to study the reasons and consequences of this decline, through semi-structured interviews with 104 sheep farmers in the natural habitat of Koundoum. The main reasons given as causes of the decline in the numbers of Koundoum sheep are crossbreeding with other breeds (25.00%), the lack of pasture on the banks of the Niger River (19.23%) and mortality linked to parasitism. (15.38%). Regarding the consequences, this regression was considered damaging for national biodiversity by 7.69% of breeders. 14.42% of breeders think that it is a loss of local cultural values and 9.62% see it as a risk loss of a breed adapted to their land. 42.31% of herders perceive this disappearance primarily as a loss of financial resources. In short, the farmers' responses refer to two distinct phenomena: substitution between breeds and the decrease in the total sheep population in the area. The two phenomena call for different conservation strategies, in situ and ex situ. These should be integrated into a global program involving breeders, scientists and political authorities.
Author Keywords: Perception, biodiversity, genetic erosion, breeders, Koundoum sheep, Niger.
Abstract: (french)
Dans les pays africains, la diversité des animaux domestiques se maintient grâce aux communautés agro-pastorales traditionnelles. Les mutations que connaissent ces communautés résultent en une érosion de la diversité génétique dont elles sont les gardiennes. En réponse aux menaces pesant sur la diversité biologique, une convention pour sa protection a été signée en 1992 par plusieurs pays, dont le Niger, dès lors engagé dans la conservation de la diversité génétique de ses races d’élevage. L’une de ces races, le mouton Koundoum, est menacée de disparition. L’objectif de ce travail est d’étudier les raisons et conséquences de ce déclin, à travers des entretiens semi-structurés auprès de 104 éleveurs de moutons dans l’habitat naturel du Koundoum. Les principales raisons avancées comme causes de la régression des effectifs de moutons Koundoum sont les croisements avec les autres races (25,00%), le manque de pâturages sur les bords du fleuve Niger (19,23%) et la mortalité liée au parasitisme (15,38%). S’agissant des conséquences, cette régression était considérée comme dommageable pour la biodiversité nationale par 7,69% des éleveurs.14,42% des éleveurs pensent que c’est une perte de valeurs culturelles locales et 9,62% y voient un risque de perte d’une race adaptée à leur terroir. 42,31% des éleveurs perçoivent d’abord cette disparition comme une perte de ressources financières. En somme les réponses des éleveurs renvoient à deux phénomènes distincts: la substitution entre races et la diminution de l’effectif ovin total dans la zone. Les deux phénomènes appellent des stratégies de conservation différentes, in situ et ex situ. Celles-ci devraient être intégrées dans un programme global impliquant éleveurs, scientifiques et autorités politiques.
Author Keywords: Perception, biodiversité, érosion génétique, éleveurs, mouton Koundoum, Niger.
How to Cite this Article
Issa Hamadou, Seyni Siddo, Mamman Mani, Moumouni Issa, and Marichatou Hamani, “Herders’ perceptions on the causes and consequences of the regression in the number of Koundoum sheep in Niger,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 418–427, December 2020.
