Overview, Relevance

The TFT aims to prove that traditional land use rights still exist and are adhered to, and will be utilized more if the local people are empowered and allowed to do so. Furthermore, it will gather data to show that such traditional land use data are well adapted to the environment and yield an optimal result in terms of productivity and sustainable management. If these hypotheses are confirmed, the TFT should reform law making in Mauritania in the environment sector, by: (1) Drawing the population into the process, (2) Encouraging the development of differential legislation for different biomes/ecosystems, and (3) Modernizing the drafting language in order that it becomes comprehensible for all beneficiaries.

If the TFT proves successful, its underlying assumptions, approach and methodology should be taken over by all donors involved in the rural sector in Mauritania, with the participating World Bank and GTZ projects acting as sponsors and catalysts. The TFT would in this way serve as a best practice example for the community-driven development approach that the World Bank now mainstreams. These projects will, in turn, become more effective through increased participation, generating higher economic return.

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