What value for pastoral livelihoods? An economic valuation of development alternatives for ephemeral wetlands in eastern Mauritania

Pastoralism

Research, Policy and Practice

Table 1 Key characteristics of the sample wetlands

Name	Local classification^a	Maximum area in 1999/2000 (ha)	Duration in 1999/2000 (months)	Duration in 2000/2001 (months)	Duration in 2001/2002 (months)
Goungel	Tamourt	638	12	12	6
Boichiche	Tamourt	204	6	5	3
Tamchekett	Oued	184	8	7	6
Oum Lellé	Tamourt	215	10	9	9
Chlim	Tamourt	606	9	1	5
Sawana	Gâat	835	9	3	3
Tali	Tamourt	966	12	12	2

^aLocal terminology for wetland types: Tamourt - a place characterised by silty-clay soils where a pool is filled by rainwater and bordered by Acacia nilotica; Gâat - an expanse of water on flat ground or in a very shallow depression, often containing aquatic vegetation; Oued - also called a wadi in geographical literature. It is a desert watercourse, which is usually dry, and contains water only after heavy rainfall. Trees such as Acacia nilotica and Balanites aegyptiaca often flank them