The role of community organisations in integrated conservation and development projects: local perspectives from the Sahel region

Vogelbescherming Nederland (BirdLife in the Netherlands) started a new project in 2011 to protect (migratory) birds in the drylands of the Sahel by promoting sustainable land-use practices that would contribute to habitat restoration and conservation as well as better livelihoods for local people. In the context of the project, NATURAMA (BirdLife in Burkina Faso) has been implementing site-based interventions through local conservation groups at three sites. Two of these organisations have been studied in depth and a further 15 community organisations were examined for comparative purposes. Field research was conducted by means of in-depth semi-structured interviews with the organisations' members and leaders, and with other key actors. This paper considers local conservation groups and other community organisations in the context of decentralisation, participatory approaches and local empowerment.

This article will also be published in the special issue of Biodiversity: the Biodiversity of Dryland Habitats.