West African Sahel is facing several challenges in trying to cope with environmental pressures in relation to population activities. The growth of population and the lack of natural resources have created numerous struggles for food and access to land. It has
also created displacement and conflict between herders and the cultivators. In this paper, it is my intention to deconstruct the
reasons for this struggle. This will be done through analyzing five transitions: ecological, population, urbanization, economic, and
social. The main question is, has the ecological and the social carrying capacity been surpassed?

 The question of carrying capacity depends on the state of "vulnerability" within each of these transitions. In terms of the
environment, desertification is a barrier to population and ecosystem sustainability. This "vulnerability" will also create tensions
among people in search for fertile land. This tension is already occurring in many parts of the urban Sahel where herders and
cultivators are fighting over limited pieces of sustainable land. The scramble for land is also strongly effected by economic
policies implemented by the governments in this region. The transition to the market economy, structural adjustment policies and profit incentives all contribute to the tensions between people in the Sahel. To a great extent, the market economy deteriorates
the social conditions as family structures are being broken down leading to more poverty. The interrelationships between these
transitions are very much permeable and interrelated.

 These conflicts can nevertheless be appeased. There are several policy suggestions that could lead to long term sustainable
development. In terms of direct environmental policy, more importance must be paid to reforestation issues to reduce
urbanization. There must also be an emphasis on reducing population growth through education and family planning. Finally,
agriculture and herding could be implemented through "double strategy" where products of one benefit the other. Ultimately, the governments of the Sahel need to advocate the improvement of the standard of living in the rural parts of the Sahel that are
facing most of these difficulties. There must also be an effort to include herders and cultivators into the development process in
order to avoid the "overshoot and collapse" scenario.