Water Quality Bioindicator Data and Field Guide in Burkina Faso, 2017-2019

Ouédraogo, Idrissa (2021). Water Quality Bioindicator Data and Field Guide in Burkina Faso, 2017-2019. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-854008

Effective community-based management of common pool resources (CPR) in contexts facing environmental degradation and social conflict is urgently required to sustainably move people worldwide towards a decent level of human well-being, as sought in the Sustainable Development Goals. In the seasonally dry tropics, water stored in reservoirs. co-managed by communities and state water management agencies, can transform the lives of people in areas of persistent poverty by providing dry season income and food security through fish, livestock and crop production. Yet the inequitable distribution of water and other agricultural resources leads to stark inequalities in costs and benefits of reservoirs among households and communities.
This project will convene stakeholders around two reservoirs in Boulgou province, Burkina Faso, through 'Innovation Platforms' (IPs) that provide spaces for face-to-face learning, exchange and negotiation. Through the IPs, differentiated stakeholders with conflicts of interests related to reservoirs will identify, compare and implement community-driven innovations to make management of and access to land, water and associated benefits more equitable and sustainable. In collaboration with local communities and water management institutes, we will co- design and test locally relevant indicators and novel data collection techniques to establish a reliable, locally owned reservoir resource monitoring system. Students, extension workers and government technicians will be trained on automatic weather stations, mobile phone based surveys, and easily measured indicators of soil and water quality. The project will fill gaps in knowledge regarding factors and approaches that enable the resolution of conflicts related to the management of CPR and the development of participatory monitoring systems. Academic beneficiaries include scientists working on participatory approaches, conflict resolution, social equity, and CPR management.

Data description (abstract)

Research indicates certain fish, macroinvertebrates and zooplankton can be used as simple bioindicators to monitor reservoir water quality. As part of the POP-BF project, we analysed the variation in abundance and richness of fish, macroinvertebrate and zooplankton communities with changes in water quality. Seventeen species of zooplankton were found in Bidiga reservoir and the highest species richness was observed in the months of September (13), November (14) and December (12). In Ladwenda reservoir, 19 species of zooplankton were encountered and the highest specific richness was observed in the months of May (13), September (13), November (11) and December (11). Sensitive taxa of macroinvertebrate encountered at Bidida reservoirs were: Polymitarcydea, Hydropsychydae, Caenidae and Baetidae. Their presence was noted from the month of October when the rains quantity was decreasing, and the aquatic environment was stabilizing (low conductivity: 0,04 mS/cm). Tolerant species such as Hirudinae and Chironomidae were more abundant in the month of May coinciding with the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season (high conductivity: 0,27mS/cm, around 7 times the value in rainy season). At this time, the water levels were very low, and the living conditions become difficult for many species. In total, 11 species of fish were encountered in the Bidiga reservoir and nine in Ladwenda reservoir.
We provide here the water quality data and counts of individual fish and macroinvertebrate species identified at each sampling point, and a field guide compiled for local communities explaining which fish and macroinvertebrate species are likely to indicate high or low water quality, and how to find and identify these species.

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