Mali - The Niger River Basin (from the Markala Sill to the Débo Lake)

The Niger River Basindu (Markala Sill at Debo Lake) covers an area of ​​more than 4,119,500 hectares. Rich in natural resources and with varied ecosystems (lakes, plains, floodplains, bourgoutières), it is the largest continental wetland in West Africa and the second for Africa after the Okavango delta. Botswana. The area is an important area of ​​biological diversity with a high number of animal species and aquatic plants living in terrestrial (floodplain) and aquatic ecosystems (2 rivers, Niger and Bani, 19 lakes). The fauna consists of hippos, caimans, manatees, reptiles (pythons, varans, cobras, vipers), amphibians, etc. The Niger River Basin is par excellence a concentration of human activities: agriculture, extensive breeding, fishing, gathering, navigation, tourism. More than one million people live at the expense of the resources of different ecosystems. The occupation of this area by a myriad of groups (Bozos, Marka or Nono, Bambara, Fulani) is far from a fortuitous phenomenon. It has been favored by ecological conditions and exceptional potentialities: permanent presence of water, rich lands suitable both for rice and millet cultivation, rich pastures (presence of bourgou-echinocloa stagnina, favoring overweight and the rapid multiplication of livestock) and abundant fish resources.