Mauritania, Imraguen people's desert-ocean paradise under threat

Mauritania’s Banc d’Arguin, a desert-to-ocean livelihood for the Imraguen community, is facing escalating pressure from climate change and overfishing. Fisher Samata Mahmoud, one of about 4,000 Imraguen allowed to live in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed park (designated in 1989), fishes from the bay using traditional “wading-based” methods practiced only in summer. Motorized boats are banned; small sailboats (“lanches”) operate in the calm waters near Iwik on Mauritania’s northern coast. Officials warn the ecosystem is being disrupted, with warming waters, acidification, and altered upwelling patterns. Reported fish quantity in Imraguen zones has fallen to less than 30% of levels from 10 years ago, while mullet catches dropped by two-thirds since 2017. Beyond biology, park director Nami Salihy cites a decline in transmission of traditional knowledge as young people move to cities.