Paper long abstract:

The nyominka people constitute a community concentrated in the Delta Saloum in Senegal. The interface land-water forged over the centuries a community of farmers today more turned by irregular rainfall, towards fishing activities. Very ancient and capital activity, the exploitation of Anadara senilis (Bloody cockles) is today exclusively women's activity and attracts significant manpower with regards to the economic crisis. The Saloum Delta's islands are inhabitated by societies in which delicate practices of control of natural resources remain founded on well-established convictions and perceptions. The ark as a multi-purpose resource, omnipresent in these island landscapes, is an indicator of belonging to the land, a symbol of a whole of sociocultural values around which the sereer nyominka recognized themselves. With many regards, the nyominka have shown local knowledge and know-how. This reality typical to the nyominka could be more developed in a rational exploitation process.