Introduction

Managing a national park of international repute does not mean only preserving its landscape, fauna, and flora in as pristine a state as possible but also comprises the difficult task of reconciling this approach with sometimes very ancient uses of the land and resources. In the case of the Parc national du Banc d’Arguin in the West African state of Mauritania the permanent presence of populations within the limits of the park was ignored for many years until conflicts arose, forcing the park's authorities and their closest partners to rethink their management strategies.

The evolution of fishing practices of the Imraguen population offers a good example of such a conflict. Within the interval of a few years, internal and external pressures enticed Imraguen fishermen to shift from traditional fishing for yellow mullets to other species and to the use of more destructive gears, creating at the same time ecological and social problems. In this paper, we give first a quick overview of the geographical and historical contexts. We summarise the legal framework, the evolution of fishing practices as observed over the last two decades, and the many perverse consequences of these changes in fishing. We then describe how the park's authorities reacted, albeit belatedly, and explain the various steps taken to establish an open dialogue with the main stakeholders so that mutually beneficial solutions could be devised and agreed upon by all parties involved.

Historical Overview

The Banc d’Arguin National Park (PNBA) was established in 1976 by Presidential Decree, following active lobbying by international scientists to protect what had been identified as an exceptional wintering habitat for millions of palearctic migrating waders. Located north of Mauritania, between 19°21 and 20°50 N, the PNBA covers 12,000 km of desert, coastal and marine areas. It is the largest marine protected area of Africa.

Birds constitute only the most visible expression of the Banc d’Arguin's amazing biological diversity. From benthic organisms in the mud flats and seagrass areas through to shellfish, fish, marine mammals, and sea turtles, this area offers a cornucopia of marine life which has attracted all sorts of predators including humans.