Combining Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge Enhances Fire Management in the Sahel by Natalie Duncan |March 19, 2021 A flock of sheep in Senegal. In the Sahel’s dry season, pastoralists sometimes use controlled burns to prevent wildfires and encourage new growth, but a less predictable climate is undermining traditional decision-making around fire management. Photo: Melody Braun/IRI The Sahel is an unforgivingly hot and arid belt stretching across the African continent, from Senegal to Chad. It marks the transitional zone between the Sahara Desert to the north and the humid savannahs to the south. This zone is characterized by its unique rainfall patterns. A long dry season is followed by a short but intense rainy season; certain regions may experience up to 80% of their yearly rainfall between the months of August and September. Populations living in this challenging ecoclimate are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate variability and change.