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ReportNo. 12606-MAU Mauritania Country EnvironmentalStrategy Paper Public Disclosure Authorized June30, 1994 Africa Region Sahelian Departnient Public Disclosure Authorized U Public Disclosure Authorized Documentof the World Bank Public Disclosure Authorized I ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AMEXTIPE Mauritanian Agency for Public Works AgenceMauritanienne d'Execution des and Employment Travauxdlnteret Publicet pour l'Emploi CESP CountryEnvironumental Strategy Paper Documentde Strategie Environnementale CNEA NationalCenter for AlternativeEnergy Cellule Nationale des Energies Alternatives DEAR Departmentof Environmentand Rural Direction de lEnvironnement et de Planning l'Am6nagementRural EC EuropeanCommunity CommunauteEuropeene GEF GlobalEnvironment Facility Fondspour l'EnvironnementMondial IUCN WorldConservation Union Union Mondialepour la Nature LPG LiquidPropane Gas MDRE Ministry of Rural Development and Minist&re du Developpement et de Envirorunent l'Environnement MHE Ministryof Water and Energy Ministere de lHydraulique et de lEnergie MS Ministryof Health Ministerede la Sante NEAP NationalEnvironmental Action Plan Plan dAction National pour l'Environnement NRM Natural ResourceManagement Gestiondes RessourcesNaturelles OMVS Organization for the Development of Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur the SenegalRiver Valley du FleuveSenegal PAs PastoralAssociations AssociationsPastorales UNCED United Nations Conference on Environmentand Development UNDP United Nations Development Programmedes Nations Unies pour la Programme Developpement UNSO UnitedNations Sudano-SahelianOffice Office Saheliandes NationsUnies Currency Equivalents Currency Unit = Ouguiyas (UM) US$1.0 = 120.23UM (March 1994) SDR= US$1.418 System of Weights and Measures Metric System Government Fiscal Year January 1-December 31 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION................................................. 1I II. BACKGROUND .................................................. 2 A. The Economic Context ................................................. 2 B. The Demographic Context ................................................ 2 C. Natural Resources ................................................. 3 D. Social Structure.................................................. 7 III. KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ................................................ 8 A. Natural Resource Management Issues.......................................... 8 Development of the Senegal River Valley ................. .............8 Land degradation in the Guidimaka ............................ ........... 13 Pastoralism ................................................. 14 Water Overexploitation in the Oases...................................... 15 Sand Dune Encroachment................................................. 17 Forest Degradation................................................. 20 B. Coastal Fishing ................................................. 22 C. Urban Environmental Issues ................................................. 25 IV. GOVERNMENT POLICY AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTt ................................................. 28 A. Policy Framework .......... ....................................... 28 B. Institutional Framework. ...............................................29 C. Environmental Assessement of Public Investment Program ...........30 D. Information Constraints ................................................. 30 E. Legal Framework ................................................. 31 V. ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITIES AND STRATEGY .. 35 VI. CONCLUSION .. ............................................... 40 ANNEXES Annex 1: Rainfall Distribution by Region Annex 2: Population Distribution by Region Annex 3: Land Use in Mauritania Annex 4: Protected Areas in Mauritania Annex 5: Classified Forests Annex 6: Bibliography MAPS Agro-ecological Zones IBRD 25383 Preface This paper is one of a series of Country Environrnental Strategy Papers prepared by World Bank staff both for internal discussion and to strengthen policy dialogue with borrower countries on environmental issues and strategy. The report was prepared by Ms. Sarah Forster from the Sahelian Department under the supervision of Ms. Katherine Marshall, Department Director and Mr. Salah Darghouth, Chief, Agriculture Division. Mr. David Steeds (Division Chief, Agriculture and Natural Resources Department) and Ms. Cynthia Cook (Environmental and Social Policy Advisor, Occidental and Central African Department) acted as informal Bank peer reviewers. The paper is based primarily on informnationcollected during a three week mission to Mauritania in July and August, 1993 and a review of relevant documentation and Bank operational experience. The mission comprised Mr. Yves Pr6vost, Consultant, Environmentally Sustainable Development Division, Africa Technical Department, Mr. Aleksander Kawalec, agronomist, FAO/CP and Ms. Sarah Forster. The author wishes to thank Messrs. Hadya Amadou Kane, Dahmoud ould Merzoug, Sall Brahim and Cheikna M'Bare of the Ministere du Developpement Rural et de l'Environment for their participation in the mission and close collaboration, which has aided in the preparation of this document. The paper draws on the discussions during the mission with representatives from the key Government ministries as well as with the donor community, non-governmental organizations and local people. The mission spent ten days visiting the regions of Trarza, Gorgol, Assaba, Hodh el Gharbi, and the Guidimaka to discuss environmental issues at the local government and community levels in order to to gain a better understanding of local perceptions of environmental issues and to visit project sites. The report has also benefitted from the comments and suggestions of Katherine Marshall (AF5DR), Salah Darghouth, John Hall (AF5AG); Miguel Saponara (AF5CO); Ignatius Menezes (AF5IE); Claude Delapierre, Souleymane Sow (AFMAU); David Steeds (AGRNR); Cynthia Cook (AF1DR); Jan Bojo, Yves Prevost (AFTES) Hans-Werner Wabnitz (LEGAF), Jamison Suter (AF5 consultant) and Michael Horowitz (AGRNR/lnstitute for Development Anthropology, Binghamton, New York). This paper reflects the Bank's preliminary findings and concerns regarding environmental issues, and is intended to provide a contribution to the Government of Mauritania's ongoing environmental policy-making process and to stimulate a broader and more intensive debate on environmental priorities and action with the Government and its donor partners. It has been widely read and reviewed within the Bank and preliminary discussions were held with the Government in March 1994. It was then presented as a background paper for the Consultative Group meeting held in Paris in April 1994 and has since been revised to incorporate the Government's comments. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION 1. A broad and strategic approach to environmental management is essential to Mauritania's development as, in virtually all sectors, the Governmentis confrontedwith issues of environmnentalsustainability. The objective of this Country Environmental Strategy Paper (CESP) is to take stock of the Bank's understanding of these issues and situate them within the broader development context. The overarching aim is to launch a broader and more intensive policy dialogue on environmental issues with the Government and Mauritania's development partners. The paper identifies, briefly analyzes, and broadly establishes priorities among the many environmental issues facing Mauritania. Based on this analysis, it suggests a strategy as to how the Government of Mauritania and its donor partners can better integrate environmental concerns into the development effort. 2. Much analysis has been done on environmental issues for Mauritania, most notably on issues of desertification and the Senegal River Basin. Many actors are involved in assisting the Government of Mauritania address a broad agenda of environmental challenges, particularly, UNSO, UNDP, the Governments of Germany and France, and IUCN. To date, though, the Government and its partners have lacked an overall framework that clearly links environmental concerns to Mauritania's development strategy and defines environmental priorities and policy choices. This is the role that a national environmental strategy or National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) is intended to play. The Government's broad approach on environmental issues was reflected in the Policy Framework Paper 1993-1996, prepared in collaboration with the World Bank and the IMF. The aim for the national environmental strategy is to expand on these policy statements and translate them into operational and budget planning and investment priorities and decisions. It is also designed to serve as an instrument to prompt a broad public debate on environmental priorities and action measures in Mauritania. 3. This paper examines three major environmental challenges facing Mauritania, highlighting the main issues and implications of each. The first issue is how to manage natural resources in a way that is sustainable, equitable and efficient. Natural resource management issues manifest themselves somewhat differently in four important regions of Mauritania: the Senegal River Valley, the pastoral areas, the Guidimaka, and the oases. The paper also takes a closer look at sand dune encroachment, the most visible of Mauritania's land degradation problems, and deforestation. The second issue