Perception of health risk and adaptation to climate change in the populations of Langue de Barbarie (Saint-Louis, Senegal)
“It is urgent to implement strong support measures to help citizens co-manage the consequences of climate change”.
A fragile environment subject to climate change and health risks
The Langue de Barbarie is a sandy spit in the Saint-Louis region. It stretches for some thirty kilometers, caught between the Atlantic Ocean and the Senegal River. Its narrowness, combined with marine and river dynamics, leads to frequent break-ups. The study area is highly urbanized. Several activities and uses are developing (fishing, tourism, market gardening, etc.). The local population has to coexist in a complex and fragile environment, subject to climate change and health risks, where expansion possibilities are limited. Nowadays, man intervenes in these natural processes. A relief canal was created across the sandy strip to combat flooding in 2003. The effects of this breach on the evolution of the Langue de Barbarie and the health of local communities are numerous: capsizing of pirogues, salinization of wells and deterioration of water quality, displacement of sandbanks and retreat of the coastline, scarcity of fish, displacement of populations, etc. Artificialization of the environment, combined with climatic deterioration, has not only increased health risks, but also had a major impact on the communities living there. This study is part of an action-research approach to identify the links between climate change and adjacent health risks. It also aims to clarify the complex issues involved in managing risks and natural disasters in relation to the health of populations, and to question the effectiveness of local and scientific knowledge deployed in the study area.
Perception of actors in the field and adaptation strategies implemented
The aim of this study is to demonstrate in the field the links between climate change and adjacent health risks. The aim is to intervene in exposed environments and monitor health indicators. The areas surveyed are : Santiaba, Goxu Mbax, Guet ndar, hydrobase, Ndiében Gandiol. These localities are characterized by relative poverty, high population density, increased pressure on natural resources, dumping of household waste on the beach, occupation of flood-prone areas, lack of sanitation and inadequate health infrastructure. The fieldwork consisted of meetings with stakeholders, in particular socio-cultural actors or collectives: community leaders (neighbourhood chiefs, imans, priests, etc.), health services (head doctor, nurses, midwives, etc.), community people (Badien Gokh) and local authorities (village chiefs). The parameters monitored are: health risks related to climate vulnerabilities, interactions between climate and health, health professionals’ knowledge of climate change, the impact of climate on human diseases, territorial planning, climate and health, and climate and health adaptation strategies.
The approach consists in analyzing adaptation strategies through a holistic approach in order to avoid certain difficulties and/or uncertainties arising from institutional, administrative and often community compartmentalization. Active participatory research methods (APRM) enable populations to be involved in the production of knowledge relating to health risks and climate change. Relationships between health risk perception and climate change are established using the DPSIR model (Forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, Responses). This model enables us to analyze the relationships between climatic factors that have an impact on health, according to a logic of causality.
Enhance knowledge of the coastline with a view to sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment, natural disasters and health risks
Among the results of the research is the idea of proposing an adaptation plan designed to build on previous experience, and to deepen knowledge of the links between climate change and health, by mapping the climatic risks that impact human health in a context marked by coastal erosion and population displacement. Work carried out to date in the Langue de Barbarie region shows that local people have a high level of knowledge of river dynamics and the role of wetlands, lakes and lagoons in maintaining wildlife and attracting tourists. However, the Langue de Barbarie, as a functional unit, is hardly visible to the general population, who have a great interest in recreational beaches, but are not interested and/or have little knowledge of the natural and anthropic processes involved in their formation. There is also a lack of knowledge about the health risks associated with the consequences of climate change. This fragmented vision of the Langue de Barbarie coastline has also led to a crucial lack of scientific knowledge and databases on the land-sea interface. It is therefore also a question of creating new knowledge based on the preconditions of prevention and adaptation for a paradigm shift. Adaptation implies a profound change, forcing us to rethink our current way of life in order to reverse adverse trends.
Biography
A geographer by training, Modou Ndiaye graduated in 2015 from the Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar with a Master 2 research degree in “Urban Planning and Management in Africa”. In December 2019, he defended a doctoral thesis in geography, regional planning and sustainable development entitled “La planification urbaine à l’épreuve du développement durable au Sénégal : acteurs, enjeux et stratégies dans le projet de ville nouvelle de Diamniadio”. He has been involved in a number of projects, including a research project on urban network planning in Senegal funded by Al Akhawayn University in Morocco in 2018, another project analyzing the socio-spatial dynamics of Covid19 transmission in Senegal funded by the National Research Fund (NRF) in 2020, and the “Women and migration in West Africa” project funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).