The Environmental Effects of Policy Change in the West African Savanna: Resettlement, Structural Adjustment and Conservation in Western Mali

Abstract

This article broadens analytic perspectives on the effects of government interventions
by looking at the interaction of two distinct but simultaneous policy initiatives: involuntary resettlement and structural adjustment. Case study data from the Bafing valley in Mali show that simultaneous implementation of these two initiatives reinforced the economic growth of the zone but increased negative environmental effects.

Key Words: Mali, resettlement, structural adjustment, sahel, environmental degradation, economic development, river basin development, privatization, liberalization.