ABSTRACT
In West Africa, all the Departments of Water Affairs and Forestry forbid domestic herds to graze inside protected areas. Everywhere in West Africa, tensions run high between the Forestry Department and the pastoralists, particularly during years with severe drought, when the pastoralists are compelled to enter protected areas. In the same logic, the narratives and initiatives in favour of the participation of the West African local populations in the management of protected areas are multiplying. In Burkina Faso, within the framework of the 'Terroir Management' approach, village groups and committees have been established to assist the Forestry Department. In northern Cameroon, Seignobos mentioned an infamous Water Affairs and Forestry Department Director who, during the implementation of large protected areas, refused to take traditional hunters and farmers' organisations into account. Everywhere in West Africa, tensions run high between the Forestry Department and the pastoralists, particularly during years with severe drought, when the pastoralists are compelled to enter protected areas.
