The Southern Margin of the Sahara: Comments on Some Recent Studies on the Question of Desiccation in West Africa

Abstract

W 5 jrITH these words Professor E. P. Stebbing introduces important problem that he has recently discussed in several papers and a book.2 Professor Stebbing is head of Department of Forestry in University of Edinburgh and was formerly on Indian Forest Service. In 1934 he paid an extended visit to West Africa, in course of which he made a comparative study of forestry work in British and French areas. He was particularly interested in savana or bush forests of lower areas and soon formed opinion that increasing desiccation was causing a rapid southward movement of Saharan margin, a movement that threatens to spread even to coast and thus to destroy completely prosperity of West Africa. Certain remedial measures-the establishment, or preservation, of two parallel forest belts-were proposed; but Professor Stebbing was wise enough to say3 that the true facts on subject of present advance southwards and threat of Sahara can be substantiated in one way onlyby appointment of a small Commission of officers carefully selected for their knowledge of local conditions on both sides of frontier. Such a commission, consisting of one senior British administrator and one French, two British Nigerian foresters and one geologist, and two Inspectors of Forests and Water Supply of French West Africa, was appointed in 1936 and published its report in 1937. The Report itself is a slight document,4 but fortunately observations and views of four of. technical members have been published elsewhere, in readily accessible journals. In particular scholarly and well documented paper of geologist, Brynmor Jones,5 is far more informative than Report itself. The Report was unanimous, and in general Commission failed to find evidence in support of Stebbing's gloomy predictions. In his later papers6 Stebbing has had these contrary views to consider and, although refusing to accept Commission's findings, seems to have shifted his viewpoint, arguing that agricultural and pastoral developments and population increase in West Africa are causing a greater pressure on land and inducing land spoliation and soil erosion. What he now calls intermittent rainfall is regarded as cause of supposed desiccation.

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