INSULARITY, ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITIES AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES IN THE BLISS KASSA ISLANDS IN CASAMANCE (SENEGAL)

The relationship between the environment and societies is a complex one in terms of the way in which human communities interact with the environment. This relationship is characteristic of the different uses made of the areas in which they live. A segmented approach is therefore needed to understand how these areas are changing, hence the choice in this research to focus on small island areas in the Ziguinchor region of southern Senegal. The article looks at three main challenges identified in this area, including waste production and management, sea encroachment and salinisation. A qualitative approach was adopted in order to gather peoples perceptions and experiences of spatial change over time in relation to natural and anthropogenic dynamics, the consequences of these changes and related adaptation strategies. The results of the semi-structured interviews and focus groups show: firstly, a change in lifestyles and an excessive accumulation of plastic waste that popular recycling practices are unable to contain secondly, a loss of freshwater resources with the accelerated salinisation of groundwater and surface water thirdly, a decline in socio-economic living spaces with the advance of the sea, which also contributes to salinisation. The findings show that the people of Bliss Kassa are increasingly vulnerable, while the public systems in place to deal with these issues remain embryonic and largely outstripped by the pace of change.