Comparative Analysis of Local Perceptions of Sida cordifolia L. after Forty Years of Invasion in Four Communes of Western Niger
Alhou Amoude Issa
*
Laboratoire d’Écologie et Environnement, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques et Écologiques (FSAE), Université de Diffa, Quartier Doubaï, BP: 78 Diffa, Niger.
Habou Rabiou
Laboratoire d’Écologie et Environnement, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques et Écologiques (FSAE), Université de Diffa, Quartier Doubaï, BP: 78 Diffa, Niger.
Adamou Ibrahim Maman Lawali
Laboratoire de Gestion et Valorisation de la Biodiversité au Sahel (GevaBIOS)/Garba Mounkaila, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Abdou Moumouni, Niamey, Niger.
Soumana Idrissa
Département d’Économie Rurale, Institut National de Recherche Agronomiques au Niger (INRAN), Niamey, Niger.
Douma Soumana
Laboratoire de Gestion et Valorisation de la Biodiversité au Sahel (GevaBIOS)/Garba Mounkaila, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Abdou Moumouni, Niamey, Niger.
Inoussa Maman Maarouhi
Laboratoire de Gestion et Valorisation de la Biodiversité au Sahel (GevaBIOS)/Garba Mounkaila, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Abdou Moumouni, Niamey, Niger.
Abdou Laouali
Laboratoire d’Écologie et Environnement, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques et Écologiques (FSAE), Université de Diffa, Quartier Doubaï, BP: 78 Diffa, Niger.
Younoussou Rabo
Laboratoire d’Écologie et Environnement, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques et Écologiques (FSAE), Université de Diffa, Quartier Doubaï, BP: 78 Diffa, Niger.
Mahamane Moctar Rabe
Département de Sociologie et Économie Rurales, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université Djibo Hamani de Tahoua, Tahoua, Niger.
Bakasso Yacoubou
Laboratoire de Gestion et Valorisation de la Biodiversité au Sahel (GevaBIOS)/Garba Mounkaila, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Abdou Moumouni, Niamey, Niger.
Ali Mahamane
Laboratoire de Gestion et Valorisation de la Biodiversité au Sahel (GevaBIOS)/Garba Mounkaila, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Abdou Moumouni, Niamey, Niger.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Sida cordifolia L., a major invasive species in the agro-pastoral zones of Niger for more than forty years, was the subject of a comparative analysis in four communes (Birni N’Gaouré, Namaro, Say and Youri). An ethnobotanical survey of 607 households, conducted using stratified random sampling, was used to assess local perceptions of the species. The socio-demographic characteristics of respondents were broadly similar: a slight majority of women (51–61%), a high proportion of married individuals (83–90%) and a predominance of Quranic education. The Chi-square test revealed that only education levels and certain economic activities varied significantly among communes (p < 0.05), while Fisher’s exact test confirmed a clear difference in agricultural activities (p = 1.73 × 10⁻¹³). Respondents mainly attributed dissemination to anemochory (34–39%) and zoochory (32–38%), with significant variations (p < 0.05). The most frequently cited spread factors were climatic and anthropogenic, several of which also showed significant differences. Perceived impacts mainly concerned competition for resources (90–99%), effects on water resources (up to 82%) and management costs (30–55%). Mechanical control predominated in all communes (95–100%). Correspondence analysis (CA), which explained 91.5% of the total variability, revealed a marked spatial structuring of perceptions: in Youri, the species appears to be expanding, with pedoclimatic factors seemingly combining to favour its invasion; in Say, perceptions are more centred on anthropogenic factors, the species being more widely exploited there, whereas Birni N’Gaouré and Namaro are distinguished by a stronger orientation towards control methods and control dynamics. These results underline the need for integrated management strategies adapted to local ecological and socio-economic realities.
Keywords: Sida cordifolia L, invasive plant species, local perception, ecological impacts, dispersal modes, control methods