TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

Case Study 1
Pastoral Regimes of Mauritania
DOUGLAS JOHNSON
Mauritania remains one of the few countries in the world in
which pastoral activities continue to playa prominent role for a large
segment ofthe population, despite some instances ofsedentarization 1
and other modifications of livelihood reflecting changing ecological,
social, economic, and political conditions. Because Mauritaniacovers
a wide latitudinal range and contains a variety of physiographic and
climatic regions with generally arid characteristics, it offers a range
of marginal environments whoee utilization can only be accomplished
by a pastoral nomadic life. Existing in precarious balance with these
marginal environments are several pastoral regimes that, in their
evolution, have arrived at a combination of pastoral and agricultural
activities in an attempt to best use the available resources. That
the various combinations of camel, goat, sheep, and cattle herding,
together with date and grain cultivation, have continued to function
effectively for centuries is a telling comment on their basic rationality
and efficiency.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Mauritania can be divided into two markedly different physiographic
and environmental zones. The southern Sahel, particularly
along the coast, is of low relief, with the coastal plain extending
inland for 500 km before encountering a line of cliffs. The coast is
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