US Forest Service/GSTA Pays Dogon Project Technical Assistance to Bandiagara Cercle, Mali

Home , Bandiagara, Bandiagara Cercle, Bankass, Dourou, Lebe (Dogon)

Mission: April 25-May 9, 2008

Participants in Guides’ Training

Prepared by:

Lisa Machnik, Ph.D., Project Coordinator Intermountain Region (R4) Regional Office, US Forest Service [email protected] TEL: (801) 625-5205

Sara Campney, Social Science Analyst Cibola National Forest and Grasslands, US Forest Service [email protected] TEL: (505) 346-3886

July 10, 2008

Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country

July 10, 2008

Table of Contents

I. List of Acronyms...... 3 II. Acknowledgements ...... 4 III. Executive Summary...... 5 IV. Introduction: Scope of Technical Assistance ...... 6 V. Issues and Findings ...... 9 ISSUE A: Representation of Stakeholders in the Visitor Center...... 9 ISSUE B: Traditional Materials and Design...... 10 B1. Construction and Materials ...... 10 B2. Use of Traditional Dogon Design ...... 11 B3. Functional Elements...... 11 ISSUE C: Funding ...... 12 ISSUE D: Guides’ General and Specialized Resource Knowledge...... 13 ISSUE E. Incorporating Local Products ...... 14 ISSUE F: Environmental Impacts of Tourism...... 14 F1. Human Waste and Sanitation...... 15 F2: Litter ...... 16 ISSUE G: Basic First Aid ...... 17 ISSUE H: Guides’ Organization...... 18 ISSUE I: Historic Site Protection ...... 19 ISSUE G: Web/Internet Training...... 20 ISSUE H: Other Training Interests...... 21 VI. Summary of Recommendations...... 22 VI: Conclusions ...... xxv Appendices APPENDIX I: Scope of Work ...... i APPENDIX II: Itinerary ...... vi APPENDIX III: Participants (Visitor Center Training)...... vii APPENDIX IV: Participants (Guides’ Training) ...... viii APPENDIX V: Proposed Visitor Center Budget...... ix APPENDIX VI: Visitors Survey ...... x APPENDIX VII: Resources...... xxiv

Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 2 July 10, 2008

I. List of Acronyms

GSTA – Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance

OMATHO - Office Malien du Tourisme et de l'Hôtellerie

AED – Academy for Educational Development

USAID – United States Agency for International Development

GAAS Mali - Groupe Pour l’Alimentation d’Action au Sahel-Mali (Local NGO which addresses AIDS/HIV, Child trafficking, female castration, and other human rights issues)

CCB - Cercle Conseil de Bandiagara

USFS – United States Forest Service

MCB – Mission Culturelle de Bandiagara

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II. Acknowledgements

The USFS International Programs mission team extends sincere thanks to our Malian hosts and counterparts. We were received with unparalleled hospitality, and appreciated the camaraderie and professionalism of our partners at USAID, AED, and the GSTA. To all with whom we collaborated, thank you. The success of this mission would not have been possible without your dedication, hard work, and investment of time and energy. It was an honor to work with you.

We thank the US Embassy in Bamako for their support of this mission and their work towards realizing sustainable tourism in Pays Dogon. We extend a special thanks to Cristina Nardone, Coordinator of GSTA. Her dedication to this project ensured that all aspects of our work in Bandiagara proceeded smoothly. Significant planning, preparation, and logistics were necessary in coordinating the many partners and participants involved in these training sessions.

We thank Mr. Moctar BA, Director of OMATHO in Mopti for his direction and support in advancing the goals of this mission. We are grateful to Mr. Diarra Prefect of Bandiagara, Mr. Guindo, president of the CCB (district council of Bandiagara) and Mr.Tembely Mayor of Bandiagara for their support in promoting sustainable tourism in the Bandiagara cercle.

We extend a special thanks to the Ministry of Tourism.

We extend our thanks to all of the training participants for taking part these workshops and for actively engaging in what we hope will continue to be a collaborative approach to sustainable tourism.

We would also like to thank the Misson Culturelle de Bandiagara and GAAS-Mali for coming as guest lecturers. Your time and energy in contributing locally relevant material to the class was greatly appreciated by the instructors and participants.

Special thanks are due to the team of facilitators who assisted throughout the training. From the GSTA project, we thank Allaye Karembe, Barri Diakite, and Bobacaray Ouologuem. From the Peace Corps, we thank Ben Arnold and Dan DiFranco for their work in taking notes and facilitating during the class.

We greatly appreciated the opportunity to serve on this unique and challenging mission, and extend our thanks for support to our USFS home offices in New Mexico and Utah, and to USFS International Programs in Washington, DC.

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III. Executive Summary

The overall objective of USFS technical assistance in the Pays Dogon GSTA is to build capacity in natural resource conservation, sustainable productivity, and improved rural livelihoods in Pays Dogon. Bandiagara is a gateway town to key tourist sites in the Dogon escarpment. The regional Malian tourism office (OMATHO) plans to open a visitor center in Bandiagara in the next 6 to 9 months.

The first training session (2 days) focused on developing relationships and collaboration among stakeholders with an interest in the creation of a visitor center in Bandiagara. The goal of this 2-day training was to identify ways in which the participating stakeholders (including OMATHO, the Mayor’s office, guides, hotels, and other local service providers) could collaborate in the development of and contribute to ongoing management of the proposed visitor center.

The second training session for local guides (3.5 days) focused primarily on four topics: resource protection, professionalism and customer service, health and safety, and natural and cultural resource interpretation. The purpose of this session was to support the private tourism sector by providing formal training on a variety of immediately important topics, as well as topics that would assist in organization and long term business growth and development. Within these four main topics, a number of key principles for an effective and sustainable tourism sector were presented and discussed.

The following issues were identified by the USFS team as critical to the advancement of sustainable tourism in Dogon Country: • Representation of stakeholders in the Visitor Center • Traditional materials and design • Funding • Guides’ general and specialized resource knowledge • Incorporating local products • Environmental impacts of tourism • Basic first aid • Guides’ organization • Historic site preservation • Web/Internet training • Other training interests These issues, along with findings and recommendations, are discussed in the following sections.

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IV. Introduction: Scope of Technical Assistance

Dogon Country is Mali’s number one tourist destination. Classified in 1989 as a UNESCO World Heritage site, this 4,000 km 2 area in Bandiagara Cercle with 298 villages receives between 50,000 and 60,000 visitors annually. Challenges to sustainable tourism in Mali include a lack of organization among the actors involved (local and regional government, private businesses, and local communities), the environmental impacts from increasing tourism, and an unequal distribution of benefits.

When properly managed, sustainable tourism is a direct approach to conservation that can help ensure that benefits accrue to local communities. The goal of the USAID Mali sustainable tourism project (in collaboration with GSTA) is to help provide income-earning opportunities with fairly distributed benefits to all stakeholders while respecting and protecting the natural resources in the local communities.

A team of two USFS experts worked in-country with counterparts from USAID and AED from April 26 – May 9, 2008. The mission goals were to reinforce the local private sector by providing training in visitor center development and management, visitor education, and customer service in the Bandiagara cercle. During the mission, the USFS team interacted with local stakeholders, including the Director of OMATHO in Mopti, the Prefet of Bandiagara, the Mayor of Bandiagara, representatives from the MCB, members of the Bandiagara guides association, hotel and restaurant association representatives, and other local stakeholders (see Appendices III and IV for list of training participants). Two formal training sessions were held from May 2 – 7, 2008.

Visitor Center Development, Management, and Operations Training The first training session (2 days) focused on developing relationships and collaboration among stakeholders with an interest in the creation of a visitor center in Bandiagara. The goal of this 2- day training was to identify ways in which the participating stakeholders (including OMATHO, the Mayor’s office, guides, hotels, and other local service providers) could collaborate in the development of and contribute to ongoing management of the proposed visitor center.

Topics and activities covered in this session included: • Definitions of sustainable tourism • Environmental, social, and economic impacts of tourism • Tourist needs • Local community needs • Functional elements of the proposed visitor center • Creating a tourism niche/tourism zones

Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 6 July 10, 2008

This training incorporated several small group breakout sessions. In the first of these, small groups of stakeholders identified functional elements for the future visitor center based on an initial discussion of needs, including visitor/tourist needs and needs of local communities. Consistencies among the designs revealed the need for: • a focus on local materials and design • inclusion of guides as key stakeholders • broad and inclusive representation of other local stakeholders, including artisans, transportation, hoteliers and restaurateurs • consistent information about local history, customs, and culture • a mix of different types of information/ways to provide information, including staff, exhibits, computer-based information, etc. • information about local services, including lodging, restaurants, guide services (including tour descriptions and rates), • calendar of local events, including market days • toilet facilities • meeting/training facilities • opportunities for local youth involvement

The second small group activity in this training included discussion of potential themes, niches, and zones for tourism in Bandiagara, and how these elements could serve both tourists’ needs and the economic, social, and environmental needs of the community.

Other exercises focused on developing a mission statement and vision for the visitor center- an activity to be continued during the next phase of this process. Discussions on marketing and sales (including the relationship of the visitor center to local private businesses) and a review of the need for potential evaluation techniques for visitor center development and operations followed.

The final discussion of this training session focused on the human and financial resources necessary to initiate the next phase of activity and support the ongoing management of the visitor center. One of the local hotel owners proposed a budget for general discussion (Appendix V). General agreement followed that the mayor should be the point person in coordinating the next phase of the process.

Guide Training The second training session for local guides (3.5 days) focused primarily on four topics: resource protection, professionalism and customer service, health and safety, and natural and cultural resource interpretation. The purpose of this session was to support the private tourism sector by providing formal training on a variety of immediately important topics, as well as topics that would assist in organization and long term business growth and development. Within these four main topics, a number of key principles for an effective and sustainable tourism sector were presented and discussed.

Resource protection Guides have a major role in mitigating the environmental effects of tourism, since they are the primary intermediary between the community and tourists. The training included lecture and

Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 7 July 10, 2008 discussion on how minimum impact techniques can be implemented in Dogon Country. The class also discussed the risks to the environment that can result from unmanaged tourism, particularly from poor sanitation and litter, and what solutions would be effective locally. Participants identified several areas of resource knowledge in which they felt they needed further formation. In response to these requests, the MCB delivered a presentation on local geology and migration of peoples. Guides also discussed methods of effectively communicating with clients about natural and cultural resource protection (including local mores and taboos) to prevent site damage and theft of artifacts.

Professionalism and Improving Customer Service The session included material on several different aspects of customer service. A recent survey of visitors (Appendix VI) was used to tailor information about appropriate marketing techniques, how guides can be most effective in reaching clients and how to prepare clients for a high quality experience. Participants also explored methods of addressing controversial issues with tourists and how to politely address inappropriate behavior by tourists. Guides also discussed how to address tourists’ desires to have a high quality experience but also to see as much as possible. Another major topic was the current guides’ organization and the elements necessary for the development of a professional organization. Part of this discussion helped guides identify necessary elements of professional and ethical behavior, as well as how a code of ethics would increase the organization’s credibility and the guides’ accountability.

Health and Safety A variety of topics related to the health and safety of guides, tourists, and communities were discussed. Sessions included methods of clearly communicating hazards and risks and ways to help clients be prepared and well-informed tourists. To this end, the group developed checklists for health and safety briefings to be used before and throughout a tour. Other topics included basic information on first aid, vehicle safety, and food safety. GAAS-Mali (a local non- governmental organization) presented material and facilitated a discussion designed to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and methods to reduce disease transmission risks.

Natural and Cultural Resource Interpretation One of the major topics of this training was the development and use of varied and appropriate interpretive techniques. Guides discussed how to plan site interpretation, how to create opportunities to engage multiple senses and how to adapt information for different learning styles. Several visitor services and interpretive models were presented (e.g. the four phases of the visitor experience, the interpretive equation), and guides worked in small groups to organize information that could then be tailored to tourists’ varied levels of interest. Methods of creating programs and tours that help visitors develop an understanding of natural and cultural resources and ways to create mindful learning experiences were discussed. Guides recognize that they are caretakers of local history; participants discussed how to link local storytelling to sites.

Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 8 July 10, 2008

V. Issues and Findings

The following section details the main issues encountered during the course of the USFS mission, and treats them in the following format:

• Issue – A brief description of the problem • Findings – Team’s first hand observations • USFS Recommendations – Potential solutions based on the Team’s past experience and current research

ISSUE A: Representation of Stakeholders in the Visitor Center

The National Assembly of Mali has identified Bandiagara as one of four sites for a pilot visitor center. OMATHO has established policy for this initiative and is prepared to work with local stakeholders in implementation of the process. The SOW for this mission identified the need to provide a forum for structured discussion regarding the development of the proposed visitor center, to include the promotion of sites and services as well as in raising awareness of eco- friendly sustainable development that more directly benefits the local population in Dogon country.

FINDINGS: The primary goal of the visitor center is to facilitate visitors’ access to services and to share information among stakeholders. The Director of OMATHO in the Mopti Region described the future visitor center as a place where “everything related to tourism in the community can come together and work together.” This suggests that there is a clear need to create mission and vision statements that all stakeholders agree upon.

There has been a history of tensions and conflicts between the three major parties (OMATHO, guide association, hotel association) surrounding their respective roles in tourism services in Bandiagara and neighboring Dogon country. Currently, tourism in Pays Dogon is described by stakeholders and government representatives as ‘very disorganized’ and in need of clear and transparent structure with local support and ownership. Management of sustainable tourism in this area needs to: 1) come from local stakeholders, and 2) be decentralized so that benefits accrue to local communities in accordance with their needs. In addition, there is a need for practical next steps or action plans in the organization of this sector and the development of this structure.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The immediate next step in moving forward with the visitor center is the official establishment of a group or syndicat of various stakeholders to design and implement the visitor center plan. OMATHO and other workshop participants appeared to be in consensus that the Mayor’s office should take the lead on establishing this syndicat .

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To build on the momentum of the workshop, the Mayor’s office, with active collaboration from OMATHO, should move ahead with the establishment of the syndicat . All other questions of design, funding and final site selection will need to wait until there is clearly defined leadership in the process. In order to give the syndicat credibility among local stakeholders, it needs to: 1) be officially established by the local government and, 2) have an open and transparent process that ensures stakeholders involvement in the project at appropriate times. The authorization of the syndicat should include: 1) recommendations on how to select members, 2) number of members, 3) method of appointment (i.e. through the mayor or the city council), 4) any compensation to be provided, and 5) and term of office.

Our recommendation is the syndicat be made up of a variety of stakeholders from the tourism sector. The workshop group identified key players who help meet visitor needs. Guides, hotels, restaurants and OMATHO are the most frequently mentioned stakeholders. Travel agencies and the transport syndicate were also mentioned frequently. At least one representative from each of these groups should be considered as a member of the syndicat . Public leaders from throughout the region, including government officials, traditional village chiefs and religious leaders should also be included. Groups that have more specialized interests in the visitor center such as artisans, the MCB, the Service Conservation de la Nature, and other business owners should be brought into the process as necessary but may not be principal members of the syndicat .

GSTA can encourage community leaders to participate in the formation of the syndicat but otherwise has a limited role in the creation of a visitor center, until a clear local leadership structure is in place. GSTA’s role should then focus on providing technical expertise and mediation skills to the process. GSTA should also have a role in helping the syndicat develop an action plan that will provide advance planning for the design, construction and ongoing management phase of the visitor center.

ISSUE B: Traditional Materials and Design

Part of the Visitor Center training session included the need to design and construct visitor centers within their cultural and environmental context. Many participants expressed a desire to see the visitor center imitate the design of a traditional Dogon village as well as the use of local materials for construction in order to preserve Bandiagara’s sense of place.

B1. Construction and Materials FINDINGS: Traditional adobe buildings present throughout Dogon Country are less expensive than conventional construction materials. Throughout Bandiagara, most buildings are constructed from adobe bricks and covered with a mixture made from sand and vegetative material. This material is fragile and must be reinforced annually after the rainy season making upkeep time consuming and potentially costly. Cement has become available and is being used to cover adobe bricks on some buildings. However, cement is more expensive and cracks in the cement can allow water to be trapped between the cement and the adobe, undermining the structural

Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 10 July 10, 2008 integrity of the wall. Therefore cracks in cement-covered adobe must be repaired in a very short time frame.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The MCB is conducting an experimental project to test a variety of coverings on adobe brick walls to see which traditional materials can be used to increase the longevity of structures. Some of the materials include a mix of cement and traditional vegetative materials, using baobab tree resin as a binder and the traditional material as a control. The outcome of this experiment should be considered in the design and construction of the visitor center since it would allow the center to meet the community’s desire for traditional materials while decreasing maintenance costs. (See Appendix VI: Resources for additional contacts)

B2. Use of Traditional Dogon Design FINDINGS: Most groups identified the design elements of a Dogon village as being the central inspiration for visitor center design and suggested areas in the visitor center that correspond with mores and tourism problems in the villages. Designs generally included buildings resembling mens’ and womens’ granaries, Dogon homes, a central gathering place resembling a toguna 1, and a separate building near the entrance for welcoming and orienting visitors. Additional suggested Dogon design elements included fetishes and a “hotel de fetishes” (central to the Dogon people’s animist religion). These places would interpret sacred sites in Dogon Country, help visitors identify sacred sites when they are visiting villages along the escarpment, and inform tourists of the prohibitions that are linked to these places.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Incorporation of Dogon architecture is an excellent way to help orient visitors to the experience they can expect along the cliffs, and in understanding the need to minimize impacts and avoid sacred sites. It would be feasible to construct visitor center buildings that resemble everyday Dogon structures. The inclusion of religion-based elements could be a valuable addition; however, as no religious leaders were present for the training it is important that they be consulted prior to including any religious objects or architecture into the design of the center.

B3. Functional Elements FINDINGS: Functional elements of the design and layout of the visitor center were also discussed in this training session. Every group identified the need for a space for visitor orientation with information on prices and locations for hotels, campements, restaurants, guides and other visitor services. This space should also include information on safety, sanitation, and health issues. Inclusion of a calendar of events throughout Dogon Country and basic weather information was suggested. Another potential space that was universally identified provided information on local customs, history and culture. The group wanted information in this space to be entertaining but

1 A toguna is a gathering place in the Dogon villages where men go to discuss village issues and conflicts. It is a central part of Dogon social and political life. Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 11 July 10, 2008 also practical; this information should help the visitor identify sacred sites and increase awareness of appropriate behavior and local taboos. Participants also considered the importance of incorporating elements of the natural environment; the use of green space and the inclusion of educational elements related to local flora and fauna were introduced. The potential educational role of the visitor center was highlighted by the proposed inclusion of a conference space for trainings and meetings related to tourism. Other suggestions from the participants that may not be immediately feasible included: • a computer with customer service and cultural information • a small movie theatre (or space that could be used as such) • a space to involve local youth in tourism • a small local history library.

RECOMMENDATIONS: It is clear from the group participation that at least three spaces (rooms or buildings) will be needed to make the visitor center functional for visitors and communities, including: 1. orientation space for services, health, safety, and sanitation 2. interpretation/information space for cultural traditions and the local environment 3. multi-functional meeting space Another basic element recognized by all participants is the need for multiple clean and accessible bathrooms – both to attract tourists to the center as a stop on their route as well as to help manage the overall sanitation issues associated with the tourism industry.

The additional suggestions presented by participants could be phased in as resources are identified; they are excellent additions to the basic visitor center concept.

ISSUE C: Funding

Even though the Malian Assembly has identified Bandiagara as a future site for a visitor center, no funding has been appropriated for the design and construction of the center.

FINDINGS: Currently there is no confirmed funding for the visitor center. A Swiss hotel owner in Bandiagara, has proposed a draft budget for the community to consider that includes contributions from the guides, OMATHO, local governments, the hotel and restaurant association and USAID (Appendix V) Even though there is some discussion locally of World Bank Funding, our understanding from USAID officials is that the World Bank does not intend to take a funding role in the creation of a visitor center in Bandiagara.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Concurrently with the creation of the syndicat , OMATHO and the Mayor’s office need to meet directly and pursue funding options. USAID and GSTA will have a limited role in this process if they are not providing direct funding.

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ISSUE D: Guides’ General and Specialized Resource Knowledge

Guides need continuing job and site specific education/training in order to improve the quality and sustainability of tourism in the region.

FINDINGS : Being an effective guide and promoting sustainable tourism requires that guides be well- informed about the area’s natural and cultural resources. Guides identified a need for additional knowledge of and training for general environmental protection as well as a need for more specialized natural resource knowledge, including plant, tree, and bird identification. Further, guides are seeking information about the geology of the escarpment and hydrologic processes in order to better provide information for tourists.

Similar needs were identified for cultural resources. Problems include different interpretations of Dogon sites, history, and settlement patterns (for example, some guides provide contradictory explanations about the togona or the women’s menstrual houses).

While much is known about the environment and culture of Pays Dogon, this information is not readily accessible to the local population. There is a need to coordinate the dissemination of this information to all parties involved in tourism services.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Currently, lack of natural and cultural resource knowledge among guides is a major impediment to the advancement of sustainable tourism in Dogon Country. Coordination between the MCB, local and regional agricultural and environmental specialists, the GSTA, and the visitor center syndicat is necessary to help guides fill the gaps in their knowledge. To address some of the immediate questions about Dogon history and geology, the MCB was invited to provide a lecture and discussion section as part of the guide training. (See CD – Presentation “Le site des falaises de Bandiagara”).

The success of this session, as well as the clear recognition of need for this type of training, reinforces our recommendation that opportunities for short training sessions in cooperation with local and regional experts be provided on a regular basis (e.g. a monthly 2-hour session open to all guides and tourism services providers). Short trainings should focus on the use of local organizations and specialists to provide accurate overviews of environmental, cultural and historic information about the region. These trainings should be concentrated in the off-season so that as many guides as possible can attend. These trainings can either be provided by volunteer speakers or can have a small fee for attendance to pay the speaker. Alternatively, a grant or donors could be sought out by the guides association to help cover the costs of hiring speakers. It may also be advisable to offer short trainings on popular topics more than once, so that guides that have clients on one occasion might have the opportunity to attend on a different date. Once guides have built a general knowledge base in the areas of information that they have identified, they will be able to benefit from more in depth and specialized trainings to help them

Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 13 July 10, 2008 diversify local guide services. This will improve services to tourists as well as aid in disseminating knowledge of environmentally sustainable practices.

ISSUE E. Incorporating Local Products

There are many local products and activities that could produce income for groups currently not engaged in the tourism industry.

FINDINGS: There are many stores offering local artisan products to tourists but very little access to traditional foods and beverages and day-to-day Dogon culture. Bringing in traditional western food and beverages is more expensive than using local food products. Some of the demand for western foods is generated by the level of comfort that tourists have with local food safety. However, many tourists want to engage in a local and unique culinary experience as well. These opportunities exist only for some local foods and when they are available, they are not well advertised. Encouraging local businesses to promote local products is an effective way of making the food sector of the tourism industry more sustainable and to share its benefits across a wider portion of the population. Food products brought in from the outside are not only more expensive but they redistribute a large portion of the profit from the food and beverages to other areas.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Part of encouraging tourists to sample local products is the concept of product placement. If local foods and products are highlighted on menus, placed at the front of stores and advertised on signs, then tourists will be more curious about them and more willing to try them. (It will be necessary to provide information about preparation and sanitation in conjunction with these products to encourage confidence among tourists.)

Visitors are not only interested in purchasing the unique crafts and arts of Dogon Country. Many would also take an active interest in seeing how they are created and perhaps even having the opportunity to participate in the activity. Providing these kinds of demonstrations and interactions can be an important incentive for local artisans to preserve traditional methods of creating art. (An example of this process is the successful preservation of traditional Murano glass creation in Venice, Italy.) Expanding the tourist experience in this manner may encourage the purchase of a wider variety of local products.

Guides should work with local restaurants, campements and other venues to create opportunities to incorporate local products. The GSTA project could draw from successful Peace Corps activities in the development of local products for inclusion/use.

ISSUE F: Environmental Impacts of Tourism

During the high tourist season, some trails are so heavily traveled and villages so heavily visited that they are severely impacted by waste. Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 14 July 10, 2008

F1. Human Waste and Sanitation FINDINGS: Impacts to human health (local population and tourists) as well as environmental impacts result from a lack of adequate sanitation facilities and practices along the escarpment. This includes inadequate toilet/latrine facilities (especially during the high season), lack of facilities for proper hand washing, and the need for confidence in kitchen sanitation. Guides believe that tourists will have greater respect for guides who demonstrate an awareness of health/hygiene and related environmental issues.

RECOMMENDATIONS: There are two strategies for ensuring safe and sustainable drinking water: protection of drinking water from contamination and treating water before it is distributed to the user. Water treatment is undoubtedly more expensive and does not address the roots of drinking water contamination but it is an important step to consider since non-point source pollution may be a regional rather than a local issue and may therefore be more difficult to address on a village by village basis.

We suggest that GSTA, guides, and local tourism providers should collaborate with OMATHO to create a pilot program at a site that is heavily impacted by human waste. Possible actions include: • adoption of an adaptation of the latrine project 2 currently in use on the Niger, • creation of a system of public latrines similar to the user-fee based system in Sangha.

A pilot program will give stakeholders a chance to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and to consider how it can be adapted to more villages along the escarpment. Guides have identified several villages and sites that they would like to recommend to OMATHO for such a program. The representative for OMATHO at the meeting distributed his contact information to collect this information directly from the guides.

A longer-term option for funding sanitation improvements in local villages is to charge a small fee (similar to the 500 CFA tax currently paid at lodging) to visitors that would fund public latrines in and outside villages. This would require a coordinated public information campaign and collaboration between OMATHO, tourism service providers and local villages.

Another role that GSTA could fill in addressing this problem is to work with campements in villages to identify specific potential improvements in sanitation practices, especially in latrines and kitchens. GSTA could work to provide food safety and sanitation trainings to campement owners highlighting campements with well-designed and inexpensive solutions and emphasizing the general health benefits of supporting improved sanitation (for both tourists and local communities.) GSTA could also work to teach local women (the main providers of water for their families) to sanitize water in ways that are inexpensive (such as boiling). These water sources should primarily be maintained for village use where water availability is scarce.

2 Information about this project was contributes by Amadou Alidji, the OMATHO representative from Koro. Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 15 July 10, 2008

Water quantity has always been an important issue in arid regions like Dogon Country. The MCB pointed out that already, spring fed water systems along the escarpment have been drying up and causing villagers to move further down the escarpment, abandoning historic habitations. With the large population flux during tourist season it is unlikely that the local water systems could withstand the pressure and still support the needs of the local residents year-round.

GSTA and the guides association should also follow up with Leave No Trace materials, as discussed in training, encourage guides to practice these low impact techniques and encourage them to share low impact information with their clients.

Implementing these elements is part of the process of creating greater awareness of the need for effective hygiene and sanitation practices, necessary to protect the environment and human health. Sustainable tourism cannot be achieved if the environmental effects of poor sanitation have an impact on water resources. Water is the most precious environmental resource in arid and semi-arid climates and all efforts at sustainability rest on protection and improvement of water quality and availability. Implementing and publicizing improved practices will also improve tourists’ perceptions of the professionalism and environmental ethic of guides and other tourism providers in Pays Dogon.

F2: Litter

FINDINGS: Trash, specifically from plastic bags and water bottles, grows exponentially during the tourist season. Even during the off season many villages are strewn with windblown trash. Guides are very concerned about this issue and would like to be actively involved in reducing litter across Dogon Country.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The key to effective solid waste management is to follow the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycling is perhaps the most talked about method of managing solid waste but it is also the most expensive to implement. Recycling initiatives in Mali in general are very limited and it is unlikely that plastics recycling could be implemented to deal with the litter issues in Dogon country in the near term.

It would be more effective for community leaders and guides to promote reduction in the use of plastic bags and bottles and to try and find ways to reusing them, wherever possible. Plastic bags do not biodegrade, are produced from polyethylene, a thermoplastic made from oil, and photodegrade to contaminate soil, water and trophic systems. The problem of plastic bag waste is such an environmental threat that several countries including China and Rwanda have banned their use. GSTA and the guides association should work together to build programs that can effectively implement the reduction and re-use of plastics bags: • Plastic bags are heavily distributed from shops throughout Mali. Guides can encourage store owners and tourists to reduce the number of bags that they are using through an effort to educate them on the effects of litter in the environment.

Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 16 July 10, 2008

• Guides could work with local cloth makers to create a reasonably priced bag and to make it available in shops in place of plastic bags, or they could work to create sturdy reusable bags from worn plastic shopping bags (see Appendix VI: Resources). • Hotels could set up collection areas for used plastic bags and redistribute them to participating shop owners.

Plastic bottle consumption is difficult to reduce because it is linked to the typical advice given to tourists to avoid local drinking water. This advice is founded in the concern for the health of the tourist and the lack of water treatment options in these communities. Any solution to this issue must be addressed in the long term, because it involves not only actions to improve water quality and treatment, but also to increase consumer confidence in this resource. Techniques for sanitizing local water such as boiling could be taught to villagers and would improve their health, even if the time it takes to package and build confidence in the resource for tourists would not be immediately realized. In addition, any efforts to improve local water quality must be tied to improving the sanitation situation in villages across Dogon Country. If contamination from human and animal waste is continually high in local water supplies, little can be done to increase its safety and thus reduce the need for bottled mineral water. This kind of project could not be completed within the 3 year time of GSTA but GSTA could take a role on bringing in technical experts to provide preliminary training to villages on how these issues could be managed locally.

Now is the time for local communities and members of the tourism community to manage trash and sanitation issues as they relate to the environment. As tourism continues to grow in the Bandiagara area, impacts will increase exponentially and reach a point where the impact on local environment and communities can decrease the quality of the tourism experience. At this point, the benefits of tourism may begin to decline as income from this sector decreases.

ISSUE G: Basic First Aid

While some of the more experienced guides have had first aid training before, the newer guides have not.

FINDINGS: Guides identified the need for all participants to understand basic first aid for common incidents that arise during tours. These included: • sprains and strains (primarily ankles) • blisters • snakebite • diarrhea and general intestinal problems • dehydration, often caused by exertion and illness • injuries from slips, trips, and falls • stress and anxiety • fatigue • vertigo • heat exhaustion and heatstroke

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• allergic reactions • malaria

Guides who had received official certification from OMATHO indicated that they were familiar with basic first aid; however, several indicated that they were uncertain what to do for the above issues. A 90 minute session that incorporated discussion, question and answer, and demonstration was presented. Guides indicated interest in creating basic first aid kits.

GAAS-Mali facilitated a discussion about risks and prevention of HIV/AIDS; this element of health and safety should continue to be a part of ongoing training.

RECOMMENDATIONS: All guides should have access to basic first aid information and materials. While many tourists come to Pays Dogon with personal first aid kits, guides should be well-versed in managing incidents that occur during a tour. We recommend an annual first aid course be offered for all guides (perhaps in partnership with the Red Cross, Wilderness Medical Associates, or other organizations) focused on developing basic first aid skills, including those from the list above. This will increase perceptions of guides’ professionalism among tourists and the guides’ confidence in their ability to provide for the safety of their clients.

There are several options to finance this course. Guides could pay a fee to have the instructor come, but if a fee is required, it is probable that fewer guides will take the course because of their limited disposable income. A second option is for the city or OMATHO to co-sponsor the course and to pay for it in full or to subsidize the cost for guides who cannot afford to pay for themselves. Another option is for GSTA to help build the capacity for this kind of course by getting training for a local medical professional or organization, who could provide the annual first aid training at a much lower cost than bringing in a outside person.

ISSUE H: Guides’ Organization

The guide organization in Bandiagara is a good base for improving customer service and professional conduct among guides. However, there is a need for ongoing professional development to effectively realize the potential of this sector.

FINDINGS: The guide organization of Bandiagara is moving towards a goal of creating a guide office in town (possibly in the proposed visitor center). Its members want to improve the image of their profession and have more of a voice in community decisions affecting tourism.

There are typically four characteristics that define a professional organization: 1. membership standards, 2. a recognizable organization, 3. educational opportunities, and 4. ethical rules of conduct.

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Membership standards are the requirements that a person must meet to join an organization. These can be as simple as payment of an annual fee or may include requirements for attendance at certain events or activities. Having a recognizable organization means that the organization is known to the people in the community, region, or nation. Many fraternal organizations, religious and social clubs meet these first two requirements of a professional organization. Where a group starts to gain recognition for contributions to a profession is in contributing to the education of its members and requiring adherence to an ethical code of conduct. The guides in Bandiagara have clearly developed their organization in the first two categories and are beginning to make progress in the creation of education opportunities for their members (such as the training provided by the USFS).

The fourth characteristic of a professional organization is required adherence to a code of ethics or conduct. During the class, guides were asked to generate a list of guidelines for professional behavior. This exercise highlighted the difference between a guideline for professional conduct and an ethic that can be made an enforceable rule for members of the association. Some examples of basic ethics that were generated by the group included: • guides should not steal from clients, • guides should not have an intimate relationships with clients • guides should not work while under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Guides also generated some general guidelines, including: • respect the client and fulfill all obligations to the client concerning the voyage in Dogon Country, • take responsibility for the client These general ethics clearly outline the understood responsibilities that guides assume when they sign a contract to take their customers on a tour.

RECOMMENDATIONS: GSTA can assist the guides in increasing the professional capacity of their organization by helping them connect with the local agencies that could help them meet their long term training needs. This is discussed in more detail under Issue A.

Public perception of guides’ integrity is essential to creating a high quality experience for clients. The USFS team recommends that the guides’ association draft a code of professional conduct/code of ethics and seek comments from all members. Adoption and ongoing enforcement of a final version should then follow. It is critical that these processes include all members of the association and that the final product (including enforcement processes) be neutral with respect to individual conflicts.

ISSUE I: Historic Site Protection

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According to the MCB, many cultural artifacts have been lost to theft – an ongoing problem. In addition, knowledge of the location, history, and meaning of historic sites and objects is not readily available.

FINDINGS: Up to now, there has been little coordination between the MCB and the guides association. Both of these groups have responsibilities concerning cultural resource protection andd management. While guides are very knowledgeable of specific resource issues, the MCB has a “big picture” view of resource needs throughout the region.

RECOMMENDATIONS: As proposed, the MCB could provide regular, short training opportunities for local tourism providers. These short trainings could include general information on local history and how to communicate with tourists about site protection. This partnership would also give the MCB the opportunity to communicate with guides on the role they can play in reducing theft, vandalism, and damage to historic sites. One outcome of this partnership could be a site stewardship program with the guides association, where guides adopt a site that they visit frequently and are trained in how to record information that can be used by the MCB to monitor site conditions. Such a program can help identify sites that can benefit from passive management techniques and which need more active management to be preserved.

ISSUE G: Web/Internet Training

There is a need for web training so that local guides can connect with clients prior to their arrival in Bandiagara (during the planning stage of their vacation).

FINDINGS: According to a survey conducted in February 2008 by GSTA, approximately 85% of tourists found the information they used in planning their vacation to Bandiagara on the web. However, web searches for tourist services and guided activities in Bandiagara and Dogon country, generated primarily blogs and websites created by former tourists, rather than information from guides and local businesses.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Many guides expressed a desire to learn to create and manage a webpage for their business. GSTA could help to organize such a training using local resources. Creating a partnership with the new internet café in Bandiagara would allow for a multiple-student web based training to be held in Bandiagara. Peace Corps volunteers could help set up classes for small groups or set up appointments for working one-on-one to help guides and other business owners in Bandiagara create websites.

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ISSUE H: Other Training Interests

Guides need training in diverse subjects related to local history and culture, and guide techniques.

FINDINGS : Because the Malian school curriculum has been nationalized, many topics of local history and importance are not covered as part of the school experience. Passing on local history and the role of locally and nationally importance cultural topics requires additional training for guides and other tourism providers. As part of the training, guides identified the need and interest in future training on a number of topics, including: • Site-specific training, including history, flora and fauna, geology, and points of interest. • How to prevent begging • Themes of the togona, Guinna, and fetishes • Role of the hougon in Dogon society • The cult of Lebe 3 • Guiding techniques for Chinese tourists • Birds and trees of Dogon country • Excursions to new sites with OMATHO • Exchanging ideas with guides from other countries (i.e. Senegal, Guinea, USA, Europe, Burkina, etc.) • Participation in international tourism expos with OMATHO

RECOMMENDATIONS: Long term sustainability must be built on a foundation of education for visitors, tourism professionals and local residents. Guides in particular have an important role in disseminating this information and should be engaged to help identify and plan specific trainings on topics that improve their capability to carry out that responsibility. The preceding list identifies initial training needs. Most of these training can be provided by local experts from the MCB and OMATHO. Topics, such as techniques for Chinese tourists and bird and plant identification, may need outside assistance in order to be provided.

3 The Earth God Sustainable Tourism in Dogon Country 21 July 10, 2008

VI. Summary of Recommendations

Issue Finding Target group Recommendation Representation Management of sustainable Guides, hotels, The immediate next step in of Stakeholders tourism in this area needs to: restaurants, moving forward with the visitor in the Visitor 1) come from local OMATHO, travel center is the official establishment Center stakeholders, and 2) be agencies and the of a group or syndicat of various decentralized so that benefits transport syndicate stakeholders to design and accrue to local communities in implement the visitor center plan, accordance with their needs. in a way that enhances the credibility and diversity of representation in the process. Traditional Traditional adobe buildings Visitor center Use the MCB project to guide Materials and present throughout Dogon syndicat, office of decisions about improved Design Country are less expensive the Mayor, construction materials. than conventional construction OMATHO Representations of Dogon Culture materials. Most groups and orientation to conditions along identified the design elements the escarpment should be the focus of a Dogon village as being the of the information provided in the central inspiration for visitor visitor center. At least three center design and suggested separate spaces are needed for the areas in the visitor center that visitor to be a functional center for correspond with mores and the tourism community: an tourism problems in the exhibition area, a orientation and villages. information area and a meeting space of sufficient size to provide trainings. Funding Currently there is no Visitor Center Syndicat needs to be created confirmed funding for the syndicat , Office of before the funding issue can be visitor center. the Mayor, successfully tackled. OMATHO OMATHO and the Mayor’s office can begin outreach for funding in early stages of syndicat formation. Guides’ Guides need continuing job Guides, MCB, Provide opportunities for short General and and site-specific GSTA training sessions in cooperation Specialized education/training to improve with local and regional experts on Resource the quality and sustainability a regular basis (e.g. a monthly 2- Knowledge of tourism in the region. hour session open to all guides and tourism services providers). Short trainings should focus on the use of local organizations and specialists to provide accurate overviews of environmental, cultural and historic information about the region.

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Incorporating There are many stores offering Artisans, guide, The local product lines being Local Products local artisan products to hotel and restaurant consumed by tourists can be tourists but very little access to association expanded by advertising and traditional foods and beverages incorporating/providing more local and day-to-day Dogon culture. foods and working with local artisans to provide explanations of their crafts to visitors. Environmental Sanitation to protect water GSTA, OMATHO, GSTA, guides, and local tourism Impacts of quality and litter control are guide association, providers should collaborate with Tourism the biggest threats to local government OMATHO to create a pilot environmental sustainability of officials, hotel and program at a site that is heavily tourism in Dogon Country. restaurant impacted by human waste. It association would be more effective for community leaders and guides to promote reduction and re-use of plastic bags and bottles. Wherever possible GSTA should also work with guides to follow-up in more detail on Leave No Trace principles. Basic First Aid Guides identified the need for Guides We recommend an annual first aid all participants to understand course for all guides (perhaps in basic first aid for common partnership with the Red Cross, incidents that arise during Wilderness Medical Associates, or tours. other organizations) focused on developing basic first aid skills. Guides’ The members of the guide Guides Association The guides association can Organization association want to improve improve its professional standing the image of their profession by building partnerships for and have more of a voice in continuing education and by community decision affecting establishing a code of ethics in a tourism. transparent and democratic manner. Historic Site While guides are very MCB, OMATHO, Offer regular, short training Protection knowledgeable of specific Guides’ opportunities for local tourism resource issues, the MCB has a Association providers. Develop a partnership “big picture” view of resource stewardship/monitoring program needs throughout the region with guides’ association. Web/Internet Web searches for tourist Guides GSTA could help to organize such Training services and guided activities a training using local resources. in Bandiagara and Dogon country generated primarily blogs and websites created by former tourists, rather than information from guides and local businesses.

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Other Training Guides identified the need for Guides and visitor Guides should be engaged to help Interests and interest in future training center managers identify and plan specific trainings on a number of topics on topics that improve their capacity

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VI: Conclusions

Sustainable tourism can enhance the environment, culture, esthetics, heritage, and well-being of a place and its residents. The issues, findings, and recommendations presented in this document are intended to be used towards the goal of achieving sustainable tourism through visitor center development and management, visitor education, and improved customer service in the Bandiagara cercle. The USFS team observed two significant environmental threats in the Bandiagara region: tourism-related impacts to natural and cultural resources and climate change related issues. Preserving the characteristics that make the Pays Dogon area a UNESCO World Heritage site requires that these specific threats (and associated social impacts) be addressed. For example, managing for sustainable tourism can reduce resource impacts while providing local economic benefits that may assist in reducing out-migration of young adults.

Although climate change and related issues were also identified as environmental threats, the USFS team was not able to make specific recommendations at this time. Recognizing local understanding of and interest in these issues suggests that this is a potential area for future USFS involvement and technical assistance in developing clean and sustainable water sources, as well as projects such as tree planting and crop management to manage local desertification is a possible contribution. In addition, USFS collaboration with ongoing climate change studies on the expansion of the Sahara desert and the impacts of this expansion on local water, crops, lifestyles, and the associated sustainable tourism industry could be useful initiatives. .

The team recommends that GSTA mission and USFS assistance focus on the management of human impacts to natural and cultural resources. These impacts are manageable through collaborative organization and action by local stakeholders. Critical elements will include the identification of key players/point persons who can take responsibility for initiating and implementing the necessary next steps. Developing an effective personnel structure for managing impacts to natural and cultural resources will be essential to addressing current impacts and preventing additional (future) resource degradation. The effective use and dissemination of local resources that are currently available is integral to the successful implementation of the team’s recommendations.

Next Steps

1) The first and most important step in working towards the establishment of a visitor center in Bandiagara is the creation of a syndicat and the determination of how it will be funded. This responsibility falls primarily on the local stakeholders and in particular the mayor and OMATHO. After the syndicat and funding are established, the USFS could contribute landscape architecture or engineering expertise to the design and construction phases.

2) Another area where the USFS programs may continue to by providing expertise in historic site protection and rehabilitation to the MCB project. In particular, historic structures in the southwestern United States have very similar construction and styles and there are preservationists throughout the region who could contribute their knowledge and experience to

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the project. One such reference is included in the Resource chapter of this document.

3) The issue of plastic bag litter and human waster management are of significant ecological importance, especially in an arid environment, where water availability is so crucial to social and ecological systems. This issue should be a priority to increasing the sustainability of the tourism sector in Bandiagara and could be tailored to meet the ecological goals of the USAID mission.

4) USFS also can provide assistance to GSTA in meeting other training needs of guides and tourism professionals. Experts in specialized natural resource areas and in NOLS Wilderness First Aid could be provided by the Forest Service to support the mission of increasing the professionalism and training opportunities for the economic sector.

5) USFS should continue to identify ways of contributing to the ecological and ecotourism components of the GSTA mission. Our team was not able to fully explore all of these possibilities but additional assistance may be provided in establishing sustainable woodcutting and agricultural practices, countering the effects of desertification, and encouraging the sustainable use of scarce water resources in future missions.

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APPENDIX I: Scope of Work (3/28/08)

US Forest Service Office of International Programs GSTA Pays Dogon, Mali Scope of Work Bandiagara cercle

I. Background

The US Forest Service (USFS) has over a century of natural resource management experience working in over 77 million hectares of National Forests and Grasslands. The Agency is charged with providing multiple social and environmental benefits to the public including recreation, wildlife and biodiversity protection, watershed conservation and forest products. Given this mandate, USFS has within its ranks specialized expertise in areas such as integrated resources management, protected areas management, tourism, silviculture, agroforestry, anthropology, disaster preparedness and mitigation, hydrology and soils, migratory birds, and other wildlife management.

Of the multiple uses of USFS lands, recreation by far makes the largest contribution to US gross domestic product. Increasingly, the Forest Service works with private landowners, counties, municipalities, other Federal agencies, states and the tourism industry to promote sustainable natural resource based tourism, and to work with communities to facilitate their participation. The USFS has a significant track record in establishing long-term partnerships. Increasingly, the Forest Service is being asked to provide technical assistance all over the world on sustainable management of parks and other protected areas. Forest Service experts offer a wide range of technical capacity across the entire recreation spectrum, from design and implementation of activities in wilderness areas to management of urban forests. Similar to our work domestically, the international activities of the Forest Service seek to balance social and economic needs of communities with protection of natural resources.

The USFS has worked directly with Mali’s Direction Nationale de la Conservation de la Nature (DNCN,) providing technical support in the area of natural resources management planning. As a government agency, the USFS is in the unique position to offer government-to-government assistance to the Government of Mali at the national and local levels for development of institutional and regulatory frameworks. Such collaboration can help inform policy to ensure environmental as well as economic and social sustainability in these natural resource based enterprises. The USFS can also help link GSTA activities to USAID’s broader objectives through, for example, helping to link cultural tourism with an ecological aspect to sustainable agriculture and small enterprise development.

II. Objective

The overall objective of USFS technical assistance in the Pays Dogon GSTA is to build capacity in natural resource conservation, sustainable productivity, and improved rural livelihoods in Pays

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Dogon. At this point, funding has been identified to support two USFS technical assistance missions. Mission one is planned to focus on visitor center management, visitor education, and customer service in Bandiagara cercle in April / May 2008. Mission two is planned to focus on biodiversity conservation, natural history interpretation, and possibly birding trail planning in the cercles of Bankass/Koro/Douentza in September / October 2008.

III. Mission One: Bandiagara cercle

Over the course of the past few months, there has been increased attention and initiative given toward improving the guide association in Bandiagara in collaboration with the regional tourism office (OMATHO) and the Bandiagara hotel association. There have been major tensions and conflict between these three parties that are currently being addressed by these stakeholder groups by conducting meetings to elaborate a concerted action plan to better organize their roles with the eventual goal of establishing a visitor/guide information center based in Bandiagara. The tourist office for the region (OMATHO) is currently planning to create a tourism center in Bandiagara, although they have not officially announced this effort nor established implementation dates. It appears to be in a conceptual design phase at the moment.

The guide association is meeting regularly to begin elaborating a plan to open a guide/information center in Bandiagara; they have already received official recognition from the mayor as well as a location.

This mission is meant to bring all these different actors involved, including the Cultural Mission of Bandiagara and the DNCN (local/regional direction of environmental conservation) to coordinate their efforts and reinforce the initiatives already undertaken by providing a training on the following: Visitor Center management and operations Visitor education and cultural awareness training Customer Service and personal relations

The mission should begin with a preliminary assessment meeting with OMATHO, the DNCN, guide association, and hotel association in order to get a better sense of their separate agendas and how such could be harmonized during the Visitor Center Management and Operations Training.

Deliverables: Provide training in better managing visitors, including visitor center management and operations. Conduct training in effectively communicating with visitors, and possibly in designing appropriate “Pays Dogon” programs. This includes visitor education and cultural awareness training. Provide training in customer service and personal relations. Produce a trip report to be shared with GSTA and Malian partners outlining findings and recommendations. (This will be delivered after the completion of the mission.)

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Team: 2 USFS recreation experts with experience in visitor interaction and customer service Sara Campney email: [email protected] ; tel: (505) 346-3886 Lisa Machnik email: [email protected] ; tel : (801) 625-5205

Timing: April 26 – May 12, 2008

Location : Bandiagara ville

Partners: Cristina Nardone, (in-country coordinator for the GSTA ); OMATHO; DNCN; local guide association; hotel association; local government; possibly Peace Corps

Pre-departure: Prior to the mission, the USFS team will communicate directly with Cristina Nardone, in-country coordinator for the GSTA project (Projet Tourisme Durable Pays Dogon) in order to refine specific technical assistance and training priorities, and discuss intricacies of the schedule. Cristina Nardone and her team are prepared to provide information and in-country contacts, as well as assist in preparation for and implementation of trainings. Contact information: Cristina Nardone Projet Tourisme Durable Pays Dogon B.P. 38 Sevare, Mali Tel:# 223-456-4160 Tel. portable: 223-337-5776 [email protected]

Logistical Support and other details:

USFS will cover the salaries of the technical experts.

AED will provide funds to USFS for the purchase of USFS experts’ air tickets, per diem, and miscellaneous expenses associated with this mission.

In-country training costs are to be incurred directly by the GSTA program, including participant per diem payments, refreshments, hotel lodging and transportation costs for out-of-town participants, and possible costs associated with training venue(s).

Cristina Nardone is the primary in-country point of contact for this mission, and will work with the USFS team to refine mission goals, and ensure that the appropriate audience is notified and included in trainings. Cristina Nardone and her team will arrange for lodging and transportation for the USFS team during their time in-country.

Other Information:

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Population: Below is some information on the four districts (cercles) on which the GSTA project is primarily focused. The population in the village of Bandiagara is approx. 13,100 while the entire district is approx. 279,543. A major tourist destination in the Bandiagara district are the cliff and plateau villages in the Commune of Sangha with approximately 10,000 inhabitants.

Based on data provided from the Direction of Agriculture in Bandiagara, the district of Bandiagara has a total of 770 hectares of arable land currently cultivated. The Bankass district has a sizeable 89,976 hectares of arable land, although it is not clear whether all of it is currently farmed.

Total population figures per cercle (district): Bandiagara – 279,543 Bankass – 240,239 Koro – 328,675 Douentza – 191,412 Total population in Dogon country = 1,039,869

On average, each farming household cultivates 3 to 3.5 hectares of land. The average household is between 7 to 9 individuals.

For the Bandiagara district, we could assume there are approximately 23,166 households. However, clearly not all households cultivate in the district if only 770 hectares of land are farmed.

The cercle of Bankass is the breadbasket of Dogon country. We can easily assume that 30,000 households cultivate in the cercle of Bankass, each with 2.9 hectares of land. Bankass is environmentally diverse, with arid sandy plains, cliff villages, and a forest area that extends into the border with Burkina Faso.

Some local NGOs and institutions already target natural resource management in the area, such as EcoSahel. In terms of biodiversity, the Direction of Conservation and Environment in Bankass and Koro have expressed a desire to protect the habitats of hippos and crocodiles in villages of Bankass and Koro respectively. There is a river tributary from Burkina Faso that extends into a village in the cercle of Bankass where hippos live year round accompanied with various migratory birds. Also, throughout Dogon country you will find ponds with crocodiles that are considered sacred by villagers, some of which dry up during the hot season forcing many of these crocodiles to leave and find refuge elsewhere.

As relates to the overall GSTA project, targets for most if not all of these indicators should be to work in collaboration with the Directions of Environment and Conservation as well as Directions of Agriculture in each cercle by providing technical assistance with first identifying certain practices that are harmful to the environment, then raising awareness about such practices, and implicating NGOs and local associations in identifying better techniques with the population to then formulate a feasible grassroots strategy in implementing such improved practices. There are currently many NGOs in Dogon country that focus on protecting the environment that we can

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make contact with and perhaps even send our experts to assist. These NGOs work very closely with the regional directions of agriculture and the environment in establishing laws and agreements with villages.

Important Bird Areas (IBA's) in Dogon country: The types of birds in these IBAs are referred to as "oiseaux du savanne" or savana birds, which feed on fruit trees.

These birds are prominent all along the Dogon escarpment, which is approximately 200km. If you look on a map of the Dogon escarpment, typically called the Bandiagara escarpment, these birds are found from the southeast village of Ende to north east village of Segue. Thus, occupying territory in the circles of Bankass, Bandiagara, and Douentza.

Another IBA is in the Sourou Valley in the cercle of Bankass in the Commune of Baye. Again, this IBA has mainly savana birds.

Cristina Nardone can provide more details with an actual list of birds, as well as a list of NGO’s in Dogon Country that currently work with protecting these areas.

The Gourma is a reserve area that spreads over two cercles in the Mopti region and part of Tomboctou. In Mopti, the Gourma zone spills over parts of the cercles Bandiagara and Douentza. It is a circular zone, that encompasses various villages such as Boni and Gossi. From the city of Douentza, the Gourma reserve is approximately 30km north. There is only public transport to that general area along the guidron, (main paved Bamako-Gao road), but where the elephants and wildlife are actually located the only transport available is rental of private 4x4s.

The elephants migrate in a circular pattern that includes (mostly) Mali, and then dips down a little into northern Burkina Faso.

Though the elephants do migrate southeast to Burkina and are found in villages in the cercle of Koro, it is not clear that the GSTA project’s intervention zone specifically includes the areas populated by elephants. Nevertheless, as a separate but potentially complimentary activity, USFS has plans to support the DNCN in conducting a study on carrying capacity and an assessment of the ecotourism market in this region. The first USFS technical assistance mission to conduct this work is planned for late May 2008.

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USFS Mission to Bandiagara Meetings and Courtesy Visits Time Date Location Meeting Representative frame Sunday April 27th Travel Bamako to Sevare All day travel - arrival in Sevare at 6pm Dormir a Sleep in Sevare Hotel Ambedgele Monday April 28th Protocol and Courtesy Visits Sevare Regional Assembly President Tapely 9am Mopti Regional Tourism Office (OMATHO) Moctar Ba 10am Bandiagara Courtesy Visit Mayor Afternoon Bandiagara Courtesy visti Prefet Afternoon Bandiagara Mission Culturelle Afternoon Dormir a Sleep in Bandiagara Hotel La Falaise Tues. April 29th Bandiagara Guide Association Modibo Sagara AM Bandiagara Hotel Association AM Sevare Meet with Travel Agency? Afternoon Sleep in Bandiagara Hotel La Falaise Training and Preparation Schedule

Wednesday April 30th Visit several Dogon sites along the escarpment. Thursday May 1st Final training preparations Visitor Center Management Training Friday May 2nd to Saturday May 3rd Guide Training: Visitor Education Sunday May 4th to Monday May 5th Guide Training: Customer Service Tuesday May 6th to Wed. May 7th Departure to Bamako Thursday May 8th Sleep at Kepinski Hotel in Bamako Visit with USAID Friday May 9th The USAID Mission would like to meet with your team to discuss the results of your training and your findings in the field.

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APPENDIX III: Participants (Visitor Center Training)

USFS Formation sur la gestion et operations de une Centre d'Information des visiteurs a Bandiagara le 02 a 03 mai 2008 Liste Participants

Nombre Structure Nom de Representant Telephone Provenance 1 Maire de Bandiagara Maire Boureima Tembely 694-7309 Bandiagara 2 Conseil Municipal Djeretou Maiga Bandiagara 3 Conseil Municipal Dounerou Dolo Bandiagara 4 Conseil de Cercle President Sidi Guindo 244-2163 Bandiagara 5 Association Artisans Youssouf Dicko 685-4501 Bandiagara 6 Mission Culturelle Lassana Cisse 676-2173 Bandiagara 7 Mission Culturelle Binet Dougnon 688-7186 Bandiagara 8 Association Hotels Souleyman Saye 322-9992 Bandiagara 9 Association Hotels Paul Togo 929-2207 Bandiagara 10 Association Hotels Papa Napo 601-5335 Bandiagara 11 Association Guides President Modibo Sagara 516-5049 Bandiagara 12 Guide Cheick Oumar Napo 612-0336 Bandiagara 13 Guide Mabo Thiam 931-2788 Bandiagara 14 Restaurant Papa Niang 684-6966 Bandiagara 15 Restaurant Moussa Joel 601-0779 Bandiagara 16 Yag-Tu Association Femmes Fifi Tembely 637-2228 Bandiagara 17 Jeunes et le Sport Mama Dolo 406-4087 Bandiagara 18 Chef de Village Macki Tall Bandiagara 19 CRMT Akouni D'ougnon 244-2006 Bandiagara 20 Radio Baguine Housseini Saye 685-4451 Bandiagara 21 Joliba Trust Directeur Apomi Saye 642-4162 Bandiagara 22 Guinna Dogon Directeur David Tembely Bandiagara 23 APH David Sagara 684-2564 Bandiagara 24 Transporteur Amaoud Ouloguem 677-4313 Bandiagara Non Residents 25 OMATHO Mopti Moctar Ba Mopti 26 OMATHO Sangha Yaya Dguiba Sangha 27 OMATHO Koro Amadou Alidji Koro

Facilitateurs Allaye Karembe Barri Diakite Boubacary Ouloguem PCV Daniel DiFranco PCV Ben Arnold Cristina Nardone

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APPENDIX IV: Participants (Guides’ Training)

Numero Nom de Guide Telephone Provenance 1 Mabo Thiam 931 - 2788 Bandiagara 2 Boubacar Tessougue 687-1768 Bandiagara 3 Allaye Tessougue 688 - 7159 Bandiagara 4 Cheick Oumar Napo 407 - 9783 Bandiagara 5 Asseguere Teme 688 - 7168 Bandiagara 6 Amadou Napo 688 - 7140 Bandiagara 7 Ibrahim Kodio 635 - 2030 Bandiagara 8 Ankoundia Napo 612 - 0336 Bandiagara 9 Oumar Dolo 684 - 2469 Bandiagara 10 Habibou Tembely 929 - 2487 Bandiagara 11 Sibiri Traore 910 - 6078 Bandiagara 12 Boubacar Teme 406 - 5552 Bandiagara 13 Ali Bamia 686 - 7658 Bandiagara 14 Hamidou Tembely 928 - 1458 Bandiagara 15 Moussa Doumbo Bandiagara 16 Mabo Tapyli 622 - 5421 Bandiagara 17 Mahim Tall 921 - 6600 Bandiagara 18 Togo Tiemoko 539 - 4838 Bandiagara 19 Oumar Ouloguem 683 - 4820 Bandiagara 20 Amadou Tapily 686 - 7513 Bandiagara 21 Mamadou A Traoure 910 - 6102 Bandiagara 22 Aly Guindo 910 - 6226 Bandiagara 23 Amadou Traore 686 - 7540 Bandiagara 24 Isao Sagara 991 - 2462 Bandiagara 25 Sory Karembe 612 - 6216 Bandiagara 26 Luke Kassogue Bandiagara 27 Abdoulaye Ouloguem Bandiagara 28 Abdoulaye Kassogue Bandiagara 29 Abdoulaye Toure Bandiagara 30 Drissa Ranon 612 - 2919 Dourou 31 Ousmane Kamia 514 - 1086 Dourou 32 Mamoudon Nongo 919 - 1977 Dourou 33 Seydou Kamia 643 - 5516 Dourou 34 Modibo Sagara Bandiagara 35 Aly Tapily 36 Yacouba Kassogue 37 Papa Napo

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APPENDIX V: Propose Visitor Center Budget

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APPENDIX VI: Visitor Survey

Dogon Country, Mali Visitor Questionnaire Summary of Results

April 28, 2008

*Questions requiring financial data have not yet been calculated

Data Collection Dates: Collection Locations: Total Number of Surveys: 143

Q1. How many full days have you been in Dogon Country?

The average length of time visitors spent in Dogon Country at the time of completing the survey was 4.4 days .

Q2. How many days total do you expect to be in the Dogon Country?

The average length of stay in the Dogon Country was 6.1 days , however, the standard deviation of responses yielded 3.399, indicating that there is great variety in length of stay. The shortest stay was 2 days, and the longest stay was 21 days.

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Q3. What kind of travel are you participating in?

Type of Travel

visiting other friend/relative 7% 5% business 1%

independent 47%

package 40%

Nearly half (47%) of all travelers to Dogon Country were independent travelers – tourists that make their own travel arrangements. Package tours were also very popular (40%) and are characterized by a company that creates travel itineraries and makes all logistical arrangements for the traveler. Visiting friends and relatives (5%), business travel (1%), and other reasons (7%) constituted the remaining travelers.

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Q4. How did you find your guide?

45.0% 42.2%

40.0%

35.0%

30.0% 28.1%

25.0%

20.0%

15.0%

10.8% 10.0% 6.8% 5.2% 5.0% 3.6% 2.8% 0.4% 0.0%

n r D el r e e D io to P ot he id sit P at ra de h ot gu b e nd pe si e e sid e o in us w ut m ur d 't o om to he dn ed ec ac di ch r ro oa pp pr a ap

The largest portion (42.2%) of respondents found their local guides through recommendations by friends or the media. Over one-quarter (28.1%) of local guides were arranged by tour operators as part of a package.

The Internet is an increasingly important and effective way for tourism services to market themselves. However, very few (2.8%) survey participants found their local guide using this method.

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Q5. If you had a guide, is he/she officially certified?

I don't know 32%

Yes 61%

No 7%

Of the survey respondents who knew, the majority claimed that their local guide was officially certified. However, nearly one-third (32%) of respondents were not aware of their guide’s certification status, indicating a possible lack of emphasis/interest placed on certification by both the guides and the travelers.

Q6. How many people are in your travel party?

The average travel party size was 5.5 people. However, the standard deviation for this question yielded 5.157 indicating a large range and little consistency in party sizes. The largest party was 28 people and the smallest was 1 person.

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Q7. Where did you obtain information about Dogon Country?

100.0%

90.0% 86.0% 84.6%

80.0%

70.0% 67.8%

60.0%

50.0%

40.6% 40.0%

30.0% 28.0% 24.5% 23.1%

20.0% 16.1%

10.0% 4.2%

0.0% friend internet guidebook travel television magazine newspaper tour radio brochure operator

Survey respondents obtained information about Dogon Country from a variety of sources—in many cases more than two. Word of mouth was the most frequent (86%) followed by the Internet (84.6). Guidebooks (67.8%) were the most used printed media, followed by travel brochures (40.6%).

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Q8. How important were the following factors in your decision to visit Dogon Country?

Rating (4=Very Important; 1=Not Important At All) 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0

beautiful scenery 3.8

cultural heritage 3.7

unique experience 3.5

historic/religious sites 3.4

hiking 3.2

ecotourism 3.1

recommendations 3.1

safety 3.0

rural tourism 3.0 Factors

francophone 2.8

accessibility 2.8

good climate 2.7

good prices 2.6

volunteer tourism 2.6

wildlife/birds 2.5

proximity 2.5

According to respondents, beautiful scenery and cultural heritage were the two factors that most influenced their decision to travel to Dogon Country. These two factors also yielded the lowest standard deviation, indicating that respondents consistently found scenery and heritage to be very important.

The impact of the area’s cultural heritage on the decision to travel to Dogon Country is reflected again with the high importance placed on “unique experience” and “historic/religious sites.”

The availability of various niche market activities (hiking, ecotourism, rural tourism) proved to be somewhat important.

Proximity and good prices were less important to the respondents than other factors, indicating that the area may attract higher-end travelers.

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Q9. Where did you visit in Dogon Country and what was the quality of the experience?

Koro 3.65

Bandiagara 3.67

Bankass 3.70

Douentza 3.77

Douro/Nombori/ 4.31

Songho 4.33

Sangha 4.33 Locations

Banani 4.43

Dogon plain villages 4.53

Tireli 4.69

Djiguibombo/Teli/Ende 4.70

Youga/Yendouma 4.80

1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 Average Rating (5=Excellent; 1=Very Poor)

The aggregated responses for all destinations placed the quality of experience at “Average” or above. Youga/Yendouma received the highest score with a low standard deviation yield, indicating that the positive rating was consistent among the majority of respondents. Koro received the lowest score, however this average score was still positive, falling between “average” and “good.”

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Q10. How would you evaluate the following aspects of your stay in Dogon Country?

Average Score (4=Excellent; 1=Very Bad) 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00

quality of guides 3.67 safety 3.62

friendliness 3.49 quality handicrafts 3.43 visitor information 3.42 interaction with locals 3.40 explanations/information 3.32 access to cult/hist sites 3.23 availability of supplies 3.22 foreign languages 3.20 quality of service 3.19 local restaurants 3.18

Aspect quality of restaurants 3.17 diversity of attractions 3.16 quality of lodging 3.08 local transport 3.01 access to wildlife 2.74 convenience of transactions 2.74 quality of wildlife 2.70

hygiene 2.55 telecom 2.40 police 2.39 banking 2.32

According to the respondents, Dogon Country is a friendly area with a high-quality product in terms of handicrafts, sites, guides and interpretation.

Of the aspects, provided very few received scores of “bad” or “very bad.” However, hygiene and sanitation, as well as telecommunications and Internet were marked relatively low. Financial matters were also ranked poorly. Respondents indicated low quality with the “convenience of payment transactions” and “banking and foreign exchange facilities.”

Interestingly, while the respondents had high regard for the area’s “safety and security,” “helpful police services” average among the lowest, indicating a low-crime area but a possibly inattentive or absent police force.

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Q11a. Did you come to Dogon Country as part of a package?

Yes (Foreign) 25%

Yes (Mopti/Bamako ) 13%

No 36%

Yes (Local) 25% Other 1%

Nearly two-thirds of all travelers to Dogon Country came with a package (63%). One-quarter of all packages were purchased through a local guide and includde accommodation and food with a smaller percentage (13%) purchased from the larger cities in Mali – Mopti, Bamako, or Sevare. One-quarter of travelers purchased their packages from foreign operators or agents.

Q11b. What is the total cost of the package?

Q11c. How many days total are in the package?

The average package length for the survey respondents was 6.6 days, with a standard deviation yield of 3.831 indicating fairly inconsistent numbers. The shortest package length was 1 day and the longest was 21 days.

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Q12d. Does the package include international airfare?

Yes 21%

No 79%

Over three-quarters (79%) of the packages did not include international airfare.

Q12. Expenditures in Dogon Country.

Q13. Is this your first time visiting Dogon Country?

No 16%

Yes 84%

An overwhelming majority (84%) of survey respondents were first-time visitors to Dogon Country.

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Q13. In which country do you currently reside?

180 168

160

140

120

100

20 15 9 9 7 6 5 5 5 4 2 2 2 0

e in d K y s e c n SA U ca d n um a tal ada i n a gi p U I n fr a apan r S A l J F el Ca t er B s h r Europ Germany e et h Switzerla We N t O Location

Because Mali is a francophone country, it is not surprising that nearly three-quarters of all travelers surveyed (70%) were from France. Travelers from Belgium and Switzerland, also countries with French-speaking populations, were in the top four origin countries. Interestingly, Spain rounded out the top three.

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Q15. What is your sex?

female male 52% 48%

Of those surveyed, there was an even distribution between males (48%) and females (52%).

Q16. What is your approximate age?

30.0%

26.2%

25.0% 24.2%

19.7% 20.0%

17.6%

15.0%

10.2% 10.0%

5.0%

2.0%

0.0% less than 25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 over 65 Age

The age distribution was evenly divided between those under 45 years old (47.6%) and those over 45 years old (52.4%). The trend towards older travelers may coincide with the high cost associated with travel to the area, the use of culture and history as a product offer, and/or an aging European population.

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Q17. What is your annual income (in Euros?)

30.0%

25.2% 25.0%

20.5% 20.0% 19.5% 19.5%

15.2% 15.0%

10.0%

5.0%

0.0% less than 20,000 20,000 - 40,000 41,000 - 60,000 61,000 - 80,000 81,000 and over Income (in EUROS)

The income distribution of the survey respondents was typical for a population. Nearly one- quarter of respondents are in the middle income level. Interestingly, there are more high-income respondents (making over E81,000/yr) than an average sample.

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Q18. What is the highest level of education that you completed?

50.0%

44.5% 45.0%

40.0%

35.0% 31.5%

30.0%

25.0%

20.0% 18.9%

15.0%

10.0%

5.0% 3.8% 1.3% 0.0% primary school high school vocation / trade university post-graduate school Education Achieved

The surveyed travelers to the Dogon Country were more educated than the average population. Three-quarters of those surveyed are university educated, with 45% having completed a post- graduate degree.

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APPENDIX VII: Resources

National Outdoor Leadership School http://www.nols.edu/

Adobe Reconstruction expert David Yubeta Tumacacori National Historic Park P.O. Box 67 Tumacacori, AZ 85640 (520) 398-2341 ext. 61 Email: [email protected]

Pattern for crocheting a durable bag from thin plastic bags: http://www.marloscrochetcorner.com/round%20plastic%20bag%20tote.html

Annals of Tourism Research (a subscription-based journal) http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/689/description#description

Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics http://www.lnt.org/

National Association for Interpretation http://www.interpnet.com/

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