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Reforestation and the state of health of populations in Tessekere, Senegal

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Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the impact of the Great Green Wall on ecosystems and human populations through an interdisciplinary and multiscale approach. Results show that, although the lifestyles of the Fulani populations in the Ferlo should protect them from noncommunicable diseases, they have a high prevalence of hypertension (31.5%), comparable to developed countries. Diabetes (4.2%) and obesity (3.2%) are still rare compared to occidental countries, but are already in the high range of rural prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. Impacts of reforestation may have direct and indirect effects on human health: the choice of planted forests increases ecosystem services (food, commerce, health, etc.) and may therefore increases the availability of traditional medicine plants; furthermore, the Great Green Wall actions (creation of seasonal jobs, sale of vegetables produced in drip-irrigated gardens, of pasture grass…) have a direct impact on monetized local economy, by generating revenues that did not previously exist. To conclude, it should be noted that the increase in plant biodiversity and the increased availability of food plants and traditional medical treatments is likely to have an impact on human health (increase of traditional treatments for noncommunicable diseases, inclusion of more sources of potassium in food). Moreover, the ability to sell fruits, vegetables, and straw, generated through reforestation and associated actions will allow people to improve their standard of living.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all the people of Tessekere municipality who took the time to answer our questions. We also thank the Senegalese chief of staff interviewers who participated in this study: Amadoune Gueye and Babacar Kane. Finally, we also thank Marilyn Magazin for help in translating portions of the text into English.

Funding

This research was funded by the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS, PEPS ECOSAN, INEE) and the Labex DRIIHM, French programme “Investissements d’Avenir” (ANR-11-LABX-0010) which is managed by the ANR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMI 3189 Environnement, Santé, Sociétés Environment, Health, Societies//International Human-Environment Observatory Tessekere, CNRS/Université Cheikh Anta Diop/Université Gaston Berger/USTTB/CNRST, Faculté de Médecine de Dakar, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal

    Priscilla Duboz, Gilles Boëtsch, Aliou Guissé, Deborah Goffner, Jean-Luc Peiry & Enguerran Macia

  2. Agence Nationale de la Grande Muraille Verte au Sénégal Senegalese National Great Green Wall Agency, Dakar, Senegal

    Papa Sarr

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  1. Priscilla Duboz
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  2. Gilles Boëtsch
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Correspondence to Priscilla Duboz.

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Duboz, P., Boëtsch, G., Guissé, A. et al. Reforestation and the state of health of populations in Tessekere, Senegal. Reg Environ Change 19, 1643–1651 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-019-01467-x

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