Climate change threatens age-old Mauritania date harvest

Wandering atop a small sand dune in central Mauritania, Aliene Haimoud gazed despondently at the yellowing date palms before him –- the trees are dying if they are not already dead.The advance of the desert is striking in the oasis village of Azougui, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) northeast of Nouakchott, the West African state's capital.Despite the ever-encroaching sand which is gradually swallowing up the trees, residents here are preparing for the Guetna -– the annual harvest date.The popular event is rooted in a long nomadic tradition and involves large family celebrations centered around the small, sweet fruit—the region's main source of income."You go from 10 to 1,000 friends," one local said cheerfully.But when a palm tree dies, a little of the life in each village is extinguished."Because of the sand, people are forced to settle elsewhere, because here there can be no more harvests," said Haimoud, president of the local cooperative association.Nearly 20,000 palm trees ...