Wildlife of Burkina Faso
Encyclopedia
The wildlife of Burkina Faso
is composed of its flora
and fauna
. The area is largely wild bush country with a mixture of grass and small trees in varying proportions. The savanna
region is mainly grassland in the rainy season and semi desert during the harmattan
period (defined as the period when stormy and dusty Sahara
winds blow dry and hot). Fauna, one of the most diverse in West Africa, includes the elephant
, hippopotamus
, buffalo
, monkey
, lions, crocodile
, giraffe
, various types of antelope
, and a vast variety of bird and insect life. The country has 655 mammal
species, 330 marine species including 121 species of fish
and 1054 different plant species. Of the plant species, the dominant endemic species are shea tree (Butyrospermum parkii) and the baobab
(hibiscus
tree), the former plant species has immense economic value to the country.
To ensure conservation and preservation of the wildlife of Burkina Faso, four national parks have been established. These are the Po National Park
in the south-centre of the country, Arli National Park
established in 1954 in the southeast, W of the Niger National Park, a trans frontier park existing since 1957 in the east bordering Benin
and Niger
and the Deux Balés National Park
. The forests, fauna and fish have been declared part of the national estate of Burkina Faso. In addition, the List of national parks of Burkina Faso consist of one UNESCO
Biosphere reserve
, three Complete Reserves, six Partial Reserves and ten protected forests. However, according to conservation classification conducted between 1936 and 1957, the country has 78 protected areas that cover 38369 km² (14,814.4 sq mi), which accounts to about 14% of the area of the country.
in western Africa is spread over a plateau area of 270764 km² (104,542.6 sq mi). The dominant habitat types are the grassy savanna in the north with transition to the varying thin forests in the south.
Based on ecological characteristics and climatic conditions, the country is divided under three bio-climatic zones namely, the Sahelian Zone, the Sudanian Zone and the Sudano-Guinean Zone. The Shaelian Zone covers 25% of the area of the northern part of the country ,which is further sub divided under the Sahelian and sub-Sahelian sectors. In the Sahlian sector, where the rainfall is only of the order of 400 millimetres (15.7 in), the vegetation is mostly of shrubs and wooded grassland or steppe. The sub-Sahelian sector represents the transition zone, receives an average annual rainfall of 400–600 mm (15.7–23.6 ) and represents the transition between the Sahelian and Sudanian bioclimatic zones. The vegetation in this sector has moist Sudan savanna vegetation in the river valleys, while the western half is largely inhabited by humans; most of the large trees in the northern half of the sector are reported to have vanished due to climate change. The Sudan Zone receives higher rainfall in the range of 600–1000 mm (23.6–39.4 ) and is further subdivided in to three sectors namely, the central plateau sector, the Mouhoun sector and the Pendjari–Mékrou sector and has widely varying vegetation depending on human occupation for agriculture and mostly savanna vegetation, predominantly wooded savanna. the Pendjari–Mékrou sector with its flood plains and many ephemeral rivers, is less populated by humans but has largest population of mammals in the country; vultures and raptors are also reported. The Sudano-Guinean Zone in the south-west corner of the country, is a humid zone with an annual rainfall in the range of 1000–1200 mm (39.4–47.2 ). It is heavily wooded with wooded savannas and gallery forests; it has the ambiance of a park with its widespread vegetation of Khaya senegalensis
, Daniellia oliveri
and Isoberlin forests, tall grasses and savanna vegetation is also a dominant feature. Its human population distribution is low but the wild life population is the second largest in the country.
The area is drained by many rivers, the most important of them being the Black Volta
(Mouhoun), the Red Volta
(Nazinon), and the White Volta
(Nakambé), which flow in to Ghana
on the south and form the Volta River
.
season of the Sahara hot and stormy winds (mid February to mid June) and the dry and winter cool season from mid November to mid February. During the rainy season is when the shrubs and stunted trees flourish in the savanna in the northern region where rainfall incidence is about 10 inches, and the rivers flow full with dense vegetation growing in the southern region of the country when the rainfall incidence is as high as 40 inch.
The Arli National Park
, covering an area of 76000 hectares (187,799.9 acre), lies to the south-west of Arli–W–Singou complex
. It borders with Benin
(the Pendjari River forms the boundary) and Singou Game Ranch on its northwest direction and has large network of drainage system which has vast flood plains. Within the park boundary, the Falaise de Gobnangou is a prominent hill feature with cliffs that extends over 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) from the south-west to the northeast. The park also has many inselbergs. Shrub and tree-savanna (extensive growth of Isoberlinia doka
) in the non flooded areas, Mitragyna inermis
with gallery forests in seasonally flooded areas, baobab
Adansonia digitata
trees near old village sites are some of the vegetation types found in the park.
. It is situated to the west of the Black Volta River. It has an elevation range of 235–310 m (771–1,017.1 ). The park was first established in 1937 as the forêts classées des Deux Balés ('the Deux Balés Classified Forests') with an area of 610 km² (235.5 sq mi). In 2001, the largest number of elephant
s in West Africa were found in Deux Balés (together with Baporo Forest), estimated at four hundred of them.
and the border with Ghana
. It follows the course of the Nazinon River. It was founded in 1976 as Pô National Park or known as Parc National Kaboré Tambi (PNKT). The park has an area of 155000 hectares (383,013 acre) in the alluvial floodplain on both banks of the ephemeral Volta Rouge River; the river results to small water holes during the summer season. A number of small marshes and lakes also dominate the scene. It maintains contiguity with the Nazinga Game Ranch of 94000 hectares (232,278.9 acre) area, the Sissili Hunting Concession of 32700 hectares (80,803.4 acre) ha and the village hunting zones around Nazinga and Sissili villages. The park has varied topography with geological formations of granite outcrops, lateritic
plateaus and several isolated high mountains. The vegetation types found here are northern Sudan savanna, shrub savanna, tree-savanna and gallery forests. The park is home to lion, elephant, buffalo and a number of antelope species. Poaching and deforestation activities are an issue in the park. The main road from Ouagadougou to Bolgatanga
in northern Ghana
runs across the park.
The W of the Niger National Park was created in August 1954. It is a major national park of the three countries of Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso, and is governed by the three governments. It is around a meander
in the River Niger shaped like a "W
". Until 2008, the implementation of a regional management was supported by the EU-funded Project ECOPAS (French: Ecosystèmes Protégés en Afrique Soudano-Sahélienne). The three national parks operate under the name W Transborder Park. In the three nations, the park covers about 10000 km² (3,861 sq mi), largely uninhabited by humans, having been until the 1970s a Malarial zone of wetlands formed by the delta of the Mékrou River with the Niger, broken by rocky hills. It was declared a Ramsar site in 1990. A cattle route from Mail and Niger to Tago passes through the park creating conservation problems which are proposed to be tackled through many conservation and biodiversity support programmes.
n countries with the largest faunal population.
, African bush elephant
, African Civet
, African Clawless Otter
, African Golden Cat
, African ground squirrel
, African Wild Dog, Western Dwarf Buffalo, bushbuck
, Cape Hare
, Cape Hyrax
, caracal
, cheetah
, common chimpanzee
, Common Genet
, Dorcas Gazelle
, Fennec Fox, Four-toed Hedgehog
, Giant Pangolin
, giraffe
, Golden Jackal
, Grivet
, Guinea Baboon
, Hamadryas Baboon
, Haussa Genet
, Hippopotamus
, Leopard
, Lion
, Olive Baboon
, Oribi
, Pale Fox
, Patas Monkey
, Ratel
, Red-fronted Gazelle
, Reedbuck
, Roan antelope
, Rusty-spotted Genet, Senegal Bushbaby
, Serval
, Side-striped Jackal
, Slender Mongoose
, Speckle-throated Otter
, Spotted Hyena
, Striped Hyena
, Striped Polecat
, Sun squirrel
, Tree Pangolin
, Warthog
, Water chevrotain
, Western Hartebeest
, White-tailed Mongoose
and wildcat
.
While chimpanzee
are considered extirpated
from Burkina Faso, they may be migrating back into the country during the rainy season. Hyena
are widespread but at low densities.
species are found in the wild, Slender-snouted Crocodile
, Nile crocodile
, and Dwarf crocodile
. According to Bird Life International, there are 119 migrant birds which visit the country out of which 81 belong to palaearctic species including two species namely Falco naumanni (Vulnerable
) and Gallinago media (Near Threatened
) of global conservation concern. There are also 10 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified which cover 20260 km² accounting for 7.4% area of the country.
In Burkina Faso, as of 2005, 497 bird species of various families, including 35 rare
or Accidental
species, 12 near threatened species , three vulnerable
species (Lesser Kestrel
Falco naumanni, White-headed Vulture
Trigonoceps occipitalis and Beaudouin's Snake-Eagle
Circaetus beaudouini) and 1 endangered species (Egyptian Vulture
Neophron percnopterus) have been reported. These cover species under several families such as: 13 of Anatidae
, 1 of Numididae (Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagris), 6 of Phasianidae
, 1 of Podicipedidae, 2 of Ciconiidae, 1 of Anhingidae (African darter
Anhinga rufa), 1 of Pelecanidae (Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus), 1 of Scopidae (Hamerkop Scopus umbretta), 17 of Ardeidae, 5 of Threskiornithidae
, 1 of Pandionidae family (Osprey
Pandion haliaetus), 39 of Accipitridae
(mostly eagles, vultures and hawks), 1 of Sagittariidae (Secretary-bird Sagittarius serpentarius), 11 of Falconidae
, 9 of Rallidae
, 1 of Rallidae
(African Finfoot
Podica senegalensis), 6 of Otididae, 1 of Gruidae (Black Crowned-Crane Balearica pavonina), 3 of Burhinidae, 11 of Charadriidae
, 2 of Recurvirostridae
, 2 of Jacanidae, 18 of Scolopacidae
, 2 of Turnicidae, 5 of Glareolidae
, 1 of Rostratulidae (Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis), 8 of Laridae, 2 of Pteroclidae, 13 of Columbidae, 2 of Psittacidae, 2 of Musophagidae, 12 of Cuculidae (cuckoos), 1 of Tytonidae
(Barn Owl
Tyto alba), 8 of Strigidae, 8 of Apodidae, 1 of Coliidae (Blue-naped Mousebird
Urocolius macrourus), 1 of Trogonidae (Narina Trogon
Apaloderma narina), 9 of Alcedinidae, 8 of Meropidae , 5 of Coraciidae, 1 of Upupidae (Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops, 2 of Phoeniculidae, 4 of Bucerotidae, 4 of Lybiidae
, 2 of Indicatoridae, 2 of Indicatoridae, 5 of Picidae
, 3 of Platysteiridae, 2 of Prionopidae, 9 of Malaconotidae, 2 of Campephagidae, 5 of Laniidae, 2 of Oriolidae, 3 of Dicruridae, 2 of Monarchidae, 3 of Corvidae
, 1 of Nicatoridae (Yellow-spotted Nicator
Nicator chloris, 9 of Alaudidae, 17 of Hirundinidae, 1 of Stenostiridae
(African Blue-Flycatcher
Elminia longicauda), 1 of Paridae (White-shouldered Black-Tit Parus guineensis), 2 of Remizidae, 1 of Certhiidae (Spotted Creeper
Salpornis spilonotus), 2 of Pycnonotidae, 4 of Phylloscopidae
, 6 of Acrocephalidae
, 20 of Cisticolidae
, 1 of Hyliotidae (Yellow-bellied Hyliota
Hyliota flavigaster), 27 species of Muscicapidae, 3 of Turdidae, 3 of Timaliidae, 1 of Zosteropidae (African Yellow White-eye
Zosterops senegalensis), 9 of Sturnidae, 1 of Buphagidae (Yellow-billed Oxpecker
Buphagus africanus), 8 of Motacillidae
, 4 of Emberizidae
, 3 of Fringillidae, 3 of Passeridae, 19 of Ploceidae, 19 of Estrildidae and 6 of Viduidae.
Ten Important Bird Areas (IBAs) which cover about 20260 km² (7,822.4 sq mi) (7.4% of the area of the country). These have Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04) (with 30 of the 32 species of this biome), Sahel biome (A03) (with six of eight biome species) and with breeding colony of Gyps rueppellii in the Arli–W–Singou Park complex (accounting for more than 1% of the global population of the species). The number of resident bird species is reported by Birdlife International as 318, out of which 119 are migratory birds. Of the migratory birds 81 belong to Palaearctic family and two species are of global conservation concern, namely Falco naumanni (Vulnerable) and Gallinago media (Near Threatened).
type along waterway
s. The open forests include savanna of four types, namely Sahelian, Sahelian-Sudanian, Sudanian, and Sudanian-Guinean. Though much of the country is dry and sparse, vegetation can vary considerably. Northern Burkina Faso consists mainly of savanna, acacia woodland, and during the wet season, prickly shrubs and stunted trees flourish. Herbaceous plants include broadleaf deciduous, shrub, desert shrub, semi-desert savanna and thorny scrub. Crops include Banana
, Cassava
, Bougainvillea
, Cotton
, Guava
, Maize
, Spinach
, Malabar Spinach
, Millet
, Onions, Papaya
, Sorghum
, Tomato
es, and Yam
s. Most of the country consists of sparse savanna grasslands, with the occasional shrub or acacia. Although the country only has about 15% forest cover overall, there are many forests in the south, growing denser along the banks of the perennial rivers. These include Diéfoula Forest
, Logoniégué Forest
, Laba Forest
, Dida Forest
, Koulbi National Forest, Bontioli Reserve Forest, Nabere Partial Reserve Forest, Koflandé Forest
, Maro Forest, Tui Forest, Deux Balés Forest, Kalio Forest, Tisse Forest, Dibon Forest
, Pâ Forest
, Mou Forest
, Boulon Forest
, Tigo Forest, Nakambe Forest and Niangoloko Forest, of which about 16% have official protection.
Poverty means that deforestation
is a problem in the country and each year the country loses approximately 32,000 hectares of forests, to make way for agriculture and for fuelwood, which around 90% of the national population are dependent upon. Numerous NGOs
are active in the country, educating farmers and encouraging them to minimize land clearing and plant trees as well as cultivate the land.
Trees of note include the shea tree (known as "Karité" in the local Dioula language
and the baobab
(hibiscus
tree). Although the shea tree is indigenous to the semi-arid Sahel
region of West Africa, Burkina Faso contains the largest number of them. The shea tree is extremely important to the Burkinabe people and is termed as "women's gold" by the villagers, because the nuts of shea tree can be collected and then processed by crushing and grinding to yield shea butter
, important in cuisine and in exports, for use in the manufacture of chocolate and cosmetics such as soap. Shea nuts are the country's third most important export, after cotton and livestock; in 1997, an average tonne of unprocessed shea nuts sold domestically for CFA70,000 (US$980) and overseas for CFA1,00,000 (US$1400). The most important centres of shea butter production are in Sissili Province and Ziro Province. The bark of the tree is also used as an ingredient in traditional medicines and the shell of nut is said to be able to repel mosquito
es and is also said to protect existing trees. The Bambara groundnut
(Vigna subterranea) is also grown in abundance; Burkina Faso produced some 20,000 tonnes in 1989, after peanut
s (160,000 tonnes) and cowpeas (74,000 tonnes). Between 1982 and 1985, an attempt was made to improve the Bambara groundnut, an initiative which involved the participation of plant breeders in the Grain Legumes Programme.
The country contains populations of Vitellaria paradoxa trees, which often have problems with parasites of the 'Loranthaceae
family.
Four species of Tapinanthus
(Tapinanthus dodoneifolius, Tapinanthus globiferus, Tapinanthus ophiodes and Tapinanthus pentagonia) are widespread all across Burkina Faso and Mali and are also subject to being affected by pests. Other trees include Acacia
, Flamboyant Tree, Delonix regia, and Neem Tree.
Global Environment Facility
(GEF) in its report to the World Bank
to promote conservation of natural habitat in Burkina Faso reported that the biodiversity species profile of Burkina Faso contain "655 wildlife species (mammals and birds); 330 aquatic species (includes 121 fish species), and 1054 plant species (751 grass, 304 tree and brush species)", based on meagre data. It was also noted that the natural habitats were found now only in parks, reserves and gazetted forests as agricultural operations dominated the scene in 70% area of the country. The oryx
, cheetah
, and giraffe
are reported to be totally extinct, probably includes Burkina redneck ostrich. The nearing extinction species were reported to be black and white colobus, dama gazelle
, leopard
and topi
. This alarming situation of loss of biodiversity resulted in creation of national operational strategies not only for rural development in 2001 but also for reforms in the wildlife and protected area sector in 1995 (a Forestry Code was introduced defining the National Forestry Policy and establishing 12 Wildlife Conservation Units covering the entire country in followed in 1996) and Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in 2000 with the objective stated as to "ensure responsible management of biological diversity by the populations by 2025".
In conservation and sustainable resources management efforts, the IBA Local Conservation Group with help from BirdLife Partners around the world have set up "Site Support Groups" in Burkina Faso, which was initially begun in 1959 to count birds. This resulted in training of local volunteers as ornithologists. In 2009, Vogelwacht Utrecht, a Dutch regional volunteer birding group, supported efforts conserve migratory birds. Cambridgeshire Bird Club in the UK has also pitched in with support. However, all these efforts are concentrated at Lake Oursi
(included in the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance) and are yet to permeate to a national scale.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
is composed of its flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. The area is largely wild bush country with a mixture of grass and small trees in varying proportions. The savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
region is mainly grassland in the rainy season and semi desert during the harmattan
Harmattan
The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March...
period (defined as the period when stormy and dusty Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
winds blow dry and hot). Fauna, one of the most diverse in West Africa, includes the elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, buffalo
African Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
, monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
, lions, crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
, various types of antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
, and a vast variety of bird and insect life. The country has 655 mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
species, 330 marine species including 121 species of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and 1054 different plant species. Of the plant species, the dominant endemic species are shea tree (Butyrospermum parkii) and the baobab
Baobab
Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island....
(hibiscus
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
tree), the former plant species has immense economic value to the country.
To ensure conservation and preservation of the wildlife of Burkina Faso, four national parks have been established. These are the Po National Park
Kaboré Tambi National Park
Kaboré Tambi National Park is a national park in Burkina Faso. It is situated between Ouagadougou and the border with Ghana and follows the course of the Nazinon river. Founded in 1976 as Pô National Park, it has been renamed in honor of a ranger of the park who was killed by poachers in 1991.-...
in the south-centre of the country, Arli National Park
Arli National Park
Arli National Park often Arly is a national park located in southeastern Burkina Faso. It adjoins Benin's Pendjari National Park in the South and the Singou Reserve in the West....
established in 1954 in the southeast, W of the Niger National Park, a trans frontier park existing since 1957 in the east bordering Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
and Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
and the Deux Balés National Park
Deux Balés National Park
Deux Balés National Park is a national park located in central eastern Burkina Faso. It is within Mouhoun Province just west of the Black Volta River and at an elevation of 235-310m.-History:...
. The forests, fauna and fish have been declared part of the national estate of Burkina Faso. In addition, the List of national parks of Burkina Faso consist of one UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
, three Complete Reserves, six Partial Reserves and ten protected forests. However, according to conservation classification conducted between 1936 and 1957, the country has 78 protected areas that cover 38369 km² (14,814.4 sq mi), which accounts to about 14% of the area of the country.
Geography
Wildlife area in the landlocked Burkina FasoBurkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
in western Africa is spread over a plateau area of 270764 km² (104,542.6 sq mi). The dominant habitat types are the grassy savanna in the north with transition to the varying thin forests in the south.
Based on ecological characteristics and climatic conditions, the country is divided under three bio-climatic zones namely, the Sahelian Zone, the Sudanian Zone and the Sudano-Guinean Zone. The Shaelian Zone covers 25% of the area of the northern part of the country ,which is further sub divided under the Sahelian and sub-Sahelian sectors. In the Sahlian sector, where the rainfall is only of the order of 400 millimetres (15.7 in), the vegetation is mostly of shrubs and wooded grassland or steppe. The sub-Sahelian sector represents the transition zone, receives an average annual rainfall of 400–600 mm (15.7–23.6 ) and represents the transition between the Sahelian and Sudanian bioclimatic zones. The vegetation in this sector has moist Sudan savanna vegetation in the river valleys, while the western half is largely inhabited by humans; most of the large trees in the northern half of the sector are reported to have vanished due to climate change. The Sudan Zone receives higher rainfall in the range of 600–1000 mm (23.6–39.4 ) and is further subdivided in to three sectors namely, the central plateau sector, the Mouhoun sector and the Pendjari–Mékrou sector and has widely varying vegetation depending on human occupation for agriculture and mostly savanna vegetation, predominantly wooded savanna. the Pendjari–Mékrou sector with its flood plains and many ephemeral rivers, is less populated by humans but has largest population of mammals in the country; vultures and raptors are also reported. The Sudano-Guinean Zone in the south-west corner of the country, is a humid zone with an annual rainfall in the range of 1000–1200 mm (39.4–47.2 ). It is heavily wooded with wooded savannas and gallery forests; it has the ambiance of a park with its widespread vegetation of Khaya senegalensis
Khaya senegalensis
Khaya senegalensis is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family...
, Daniellia oliveri
Daniellia
Daniellia is a genus of legume in the Fabaceae family, named after William Freeman Daniell.It contains the following species:* Daniellia klainei* Daniellia oblonga* Daniellia ogea* Daniellia oliveri...
and Isoberlin forests, tall grasses and savanna vegetation is also a dominant feature. Its human population distribution is low but the wild life population is the second largest in the country.
The area is drained by many rivers, the most important of them being the Black Volta
Black Volta
Black Volta or Mouhoun is a river of western Africa rising in western Burkina Faso and flowing about 1,352 km to the White Volta in Ghana. The Black Volta forms a small part of the boundary between Ghana and Ivory Coast, and also a section of border between Ghana and Burkina Faso.-See also:*Deux...
(Mouhoun), the Red Volta
Red Volta
The Red Volta or Nazinon is a river in Burkina Faso. The river originates near Ouagadougou and flows about 320 km to join the White Volta....
(Nazinon), and the White Volta
White Volta
The White Volta, also known as the Nakambe River, is the headstream of the Volta River in West Africa. It originates in Burkina Faso and it flows into Lake Volta in Ghana. Its main tributaries are the Black Volta and the Red Volta....
(Nakambé), which flow in to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
on the south and form the Volta River
Volta River
The Volta is a river in western Africa that drains into the Gulf of Guinea. It has three main tributaries—the Black Volta, White Volta and Red Volta...
.
Climate
Rainy season (June to September) is one of the four seasons in Burkina Faso; the other three being, an intermediate season from September to mid November, the summer of harmattanHarmattan
The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March...
season of the Sahara hot and stormy winds (mid February to mid June) and the dry and winter cool season from mid November to mid February. During the rainy season is when the shrubs and stunted trees flourish in the savanna in the northern region where rainfall incidence is about 10 inches, and the rivers flow full with dense vegetation growing in the southern region of the country when the rainfall incidence is as high as 40 inch.
National Parks
There are four important National Parks in Burkina Faso namely, the Arli National Park existing since 1954, the Deux Balés National Park, Kaboré Tambi National Park and the W of the Niger National Park which is a trans-boundary park existing since 1957.Arli National Park
Arli National Park
Arli National Park often Arly is a national park located in southeastern Burkina Faso. It adjoins Benin's Pendjari National Park in the South and the Singou Reserve in the West....
, covering an area of 76000 hectares (187,799.9 acre), lies to the south-west of Arli–W–Singou complex
Arly-Singou
The Arly-Singou ecosystem is a protected area complex located in Burkina Faso, and is considered to comprise part of the most significant and important savanna woodland wildlife areas still existing in that region of the African continent...
. It borders with Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
(the Pendjari River forms the boundary) and Singou Game Ranch on its northwest direction and has large network of drainage system which has vast flood plains. Within the park boundary, the Falaise de Gobnangou is a prominent hill feature with cliffs that extends over 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) from the south-west to the northeast. The park also has many inselbergs. Shrub and tree-savanna (extensive growth of Isoberlinia doka
Isoberlinia doka
Isoberlinia doka is a hardwood tree native to African tropical savannas and Guinean forest-savanna mosaic dry forests where it can form single species stands. The tree is exploited for its economic value as a commercial timber. The leaves and shoots of the tree dominate the diet of the Giant...
) in the non flooded areas, Mitragyna inermis
Mitragyna
Mitragyna is a genus of trees in the Rubiaceae family. Members of this genus contain antimalarial and analgesic indole alkaloids. Species of this genus include Mitragyna ciliata, Mitragyna ledermannii, Mitragyna parviflora, Mitragyna speciosa, Mitragyna stipulosa. and Mitragyna inermis...
with gallery forests in seasonally flooded areas, baobab
Baobab
Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island....
Adansonia digitata
Adansonia digitata
Adansonia digitata is the most widespread of the Adansonia species on the African continent, found in the hot, dry savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa. It also grows, having spread secondary to cultivation, in populated areas...
trees near old village sites are some of the vegetation types found in the park.
Deux Balés National Park
The Deux Balés National Park, is located in central eastern Burkina Faso, within Mouhoun ProvinceMouhoun Province
Mouhoun is one of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso and is in Boucle du Mouhoun Region. The capital of Mouhoun is Dédougou.Most people in the province live in rural areas; 260,295 Burkinabé live in the countryside with only 37,793 people residing in urban areas...
. It is situated to the west of the Black Volta River. It has an elevation range of 235–310 m (771–1,017.1 ). The park was first established in 1937 as the forêts classées des Deux Balés ('the Deux Balés Classified Forests') with an area of 610 km² (235.5 sq mi). In 2001, the largest number of elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s in West Africa were found in Deux Balés (together with Baporo Forest), estimated at four hundred of them.
Kaboré Tambi National Park
The Kaboré Tambi National Park is situated between OuagadougouOuagadougou
Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais...
and the border with Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. It follows the course of the Nazinon River. It was founded in 1976 as Pô National Park or known as Parc National Kaboré Tambi (PNKT). The park has an area of 155000 hectares (383,013 acre) in the alluvial floodplain on both banks of the ephemeral Volta Rouge River; the river results to small water holes during the summer season. A number of small marshes and lakes also dominate the scene. It maintains contiguity with the Nazinga Game Ranch of 94000 hectares (232,278.9 acre) area, the Sissili Hunting Concession of 32700 hectares (80,803.4 acre) ha and the village hunting zones around Nazinga and Sissili villages. The park has varied topography with geological formations of granite outcrops, lateritic
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
plateaus and several isolated high mountains. The vegetation types found here are northern Sudan savanna, shrub savanna, tree-savanna and gallery forests. The park is home to lion, elephant, buffalo and a number of antelope species. Poaching and deforestation activities are an issue in the park. The main road from Ouagadougou to Bolgatanga
Bolgatanga
Bolgatanga, colloquially known as Bolga, is the capital of both the Bolgatanga Municipal District and the Upper East Region of Ghana, and has a population of about 72,000...
in northern Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
runs across the park.
W of the Niger National Park
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
in the River Niger shaped like a "W
W
W is the 23rd letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.In other Germanic languages, including German, its pronunciation is similar or identical to that of English V...
". Until 2008, the implementation of a regional management was supported by the EU-funded Project ECOPAS (French: Ecosystèmes Protégés en Afrique Soudano-Sahélienne). The three national parks operate under the name W Transborder Park. In the three nations, the park covers about 10000 km² (3,861 sq mi), largely uninhabited by humans, having been until the 1970s a Malarial zone of wetlands formed by the delta of the Mékrou River with the Niger, broken by rocky hills. It was declared a Ramsar site in 1990. A cattle route from Mail and Niger to Tago passes through the park creating conservation problems which are proposed to be tackled through many conservation and biodiversity support programmes.
Fauna
As of 2006, Burkina Faso is considered to be one of the West AfricaWest Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n countries with the largest faunal population.
Mammals
Mammals found in Burkina Faso include aardvarkAardvark
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
, African bush elephant
African Bush Elephant
The African Bush Elephant or African Savanna Elephant is the larger of the two species of African elephant. Both it and the African Forest Elephant have usually been classified as a single species, known simply as the African Elephant...
, African Civet
African Civet
The African Civet is the largest representative of the African Viverridae. It is the sole member of its genus. African Civets can be found from coast to coast across sub-Saharan Africa. They are primarily nocturnal and spend the day sleeping in dense vegetation...
, African Clawless Otter
African Clawless Otter
The African clawless otter , also known as the cape clawless otter or groot otter, is the second largest freshwater species of otter. African clawless otters are found near permanent bodies of water in savannah and lowland forest areas...
, African Golden Cat
African Golden Cat
The African Golden Cat is a medium-sized wild cat distributed over the rainforests of West and Central Africa. It is about long, and has a tail of about in length...
, African ground squirrel
African ground squirrel
African ground squirrels form a taxon of squirrels under the subfamily Xerinae. They are only found in Africa.There is another African ground squirrel of the genus Atlantoxerus, the Atlantoxerus getulus present in southwestern Morocco and northern Western Sahara...
, African Wild Dog, Western Dwarf Buffalo, bushbuck
Bushbuck
The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is found in rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaics and bush savannaforest and woodland. Recently, genetic studies have shown that the bushbuck, is in fact a complex of two geographically and phenotypically...
, Cape Hare
Cape Hare
The Cape, Common or Brown Hare is a hare natively found throughout Africa, and has spread to many parts of the Europe, Middle East and Asia. The Cape Hare is a nocturnal herbivore.They are fast...
, Cape Hyrax
Cape Hyrax
The Rock Hyrax , or Cape Hyrax, is one of the four living species of the order Hyracoidea, and the only living species in the genus Procavia. Like all hyraxes, it is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal, superficially resembling a guinea pig with short ears and tail...
, caracal
Caracal
The caracal is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat ranging over Western Asia, South Asia and Africa.The word caracal comes from the Turkish word "karakulak", meaning "black ear". In North India and Pakistan, the caracal is locally known as syahgosh or shyahgosh, which is a Persian term...
, cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
, common chimpanzee
Common Chimpanzee
The common chimpanzee , also known as the robust chimpanzee, is a great ape. Colloquially, the common chimpanzee is often called the chimpanzee , though technically this term refers to both species in the genus Pan: the common chimpanzee and the closely related bonobo, formerly called the pygmy...
, Common Genet
Common Genet
The Common Genet , also known as the Small-spotted Genet or European Genet, is a mammal from the order Carnivora, related to civets and linsangs. The most far-ranging of all the fourteen species of genet, it can be found throughout Africa, parts of the Middle East, and in Europe in Spain, Portugal,...
, Dorcas Gazelle
Dorcas Gazelle
The Dorcas Gazelle , also known as the Ariel Gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The Dorcas Gazelle stands approximately 55-65 cm . Dorcas gazelle have a head and body length of 90-110 cm and a weight of 15-20 kg...
, Fennec Fox, Four-toed Hedgehog
Four-toed hedgehog
The Four-toed Hedgehog , or African Pygmy Hedgehog, is a species of hedgehog found throughout much of central and eastern Africa....
, Giant Pangolin
Giant Pangolin
The Giant Pangolin is a pangolin species. Members of the species inhabit Africa with a range stretching along the equator from west Africa to Uganda. The Giant Pangolin is the largest species of pangolin, or "scaly anteaters" – the large, scaled mammals belonging to the Manidae family. It...
, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
, Golden Jackal
Golden Jackal
The golden jackal , also known as the common jackal, Asiatic jackal, thos or gold-wolf is a Canid of the genus Canis indigenous to north and northeastern Africa, southeastern and central Europe , Asia Minor, the Middle East and southeast Asia...
, Grivet
Grivet
The grivet is an Old World monkey with long white tufts of hair along the sides of the face. Some authorities consider this and all of the members of the genus Chlorocebus to be a single species, Cercopithecus aethiops. As here defined, the grivet is restricted to Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti and...
, Guinea Baboon
Guinea Baboon
The Guinea baboon is a baboon from the Old World monkey family. Some classifications list only two species in the genus Papio, this one and the Hamadryas baboon. In those classifications, all other Papio species are considered subspecies of P...
, Hamadryas Baboon
Hamadryas Baboon
The Hamadryas baboon is a species of baboon from the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons; being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. These regions provide habitats with the advantage for this species of fewer natural...
, Haussa Genet
Haussa Genet
The Haussa Genet , also known as Thierry's Genet, is a carnivoran mammal, related to linsangs and civets. It lives in the savannah zone of Africa from Senegal to area south of Lake Chad....
, Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
, Lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, Olive Baboon
Olive Baboon
The olive baboon , also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae . The species is the most widely spread of all baboons: it is found in 25 countries throughout Africa, extending south from Mali to Ethiopia and to Tanzania. Isolated populations are also found in some...
, Oribi
Oribi
Oribi are graceful slender-legged, long-necked small antelope found in grassland almost throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:...
, Pale Fox
Pale Fox
The pale fox , also known as the African sand fox or the pallid fox is a species of fox found in the band of African Sahel from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east...
, Patas Monkey
Patas Monkey
The patas monkey , also known as the Wadi monkey or Hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. It is the only species classified in the genus Erythrocebus...
, Ratel
Ratel
The honey badger , also known as the ratel, is a species of mustelid native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Despite its name, the honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species, instead bearing more anatomical similarities to weasels...
, Red-fronted Gazelle
Red-fronted Gazelle
The Red-fronted gazelle is a species of gazelle that is widely but unevenly distributed across the middle Africa from Senegal to north-eastern Ethiopia. It is mainly resident in the Sahel zone, a narrow cross-Africa band south of the Sahara, where it prefers arid grasslands, wooded savannas and...
, Reedbuck
Reedbuck
Reedbuck is a common name for African antelopes from the genus Redunca. These species are:* Southern Reedbuck, Redunca arundinum* Mountain Reedbuck, Redunca fulvorufula* Bohor Reedbuck, Redunca redunca...
, Roan antelope
Roan Antelope
The Roan Antelope is a savanna antelope found in West, Central, East Africa and Southern Africa.Roan Antelope stand about a metre and half at the shoulder and weigh around 250 kilograms. Named for the "roan' colour , they have a lighter underbelly, white eyebrows and cheeks and a black face,...
, Rusty-spotted Genet, Senegal Bushbaby
Senegal Bushbaby
The Senegal bushbaby , also known as the Senegal galago, the lesser galago or the lesser bush baby, is a small, nocturnal primate, a member of the galago family Galagidae....
, Serval
Serval
The serval , Leptailurus serval or Caracal serval, known in Afrikaans as Tierboskat, "tiger-forest-cat", is a medium-sized African wild cat. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and the caracal...
, Side-striped Jackal
Side-striped Jackal
The side-striped jackal is a species of jackal, native to central and southern Africa. Unlike its cousin, the smaller black-backed jackal, which dwells in open plains, the side-striped jackal primarily dwells in woodland and scrub areas....
, Slender Mongoose
Slender Mongoose
The Slender Mongoose , also known as the Black-tipped Mongoose or the Black-tailed Mongoose, is a very common species of mongoose.-Range and habitat:...
, Speckle-throated Otter
Speckle-throated Otter
The spotted-necked otter , or speckle-throated otter, is an otter native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is a smallish otter 95-105 cm long, including the tail, and weighing 3 to 6.5 kg . Like other otters it is sleek and has webbed paws for swimming...
, Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena
The spotted hyena also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save...
, Striped Hyena
Striped Hyena
The Striped Hyena is a species of true hyena native to North and East Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Middle and Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
, Striped Polecat
Striped Polecat
The Striped Polecat is a member of the Mustelidae family which somewhat resembles a skunk. It is found in savannahs and open country in sub-saharan Africa excluding the Congo basin and west Africa.Like other polecats, this carnivore is nocturnal...
, Sun squirrel
Sun squirrel
Sun squirrels , form a taxon of squirrels under the subfamily Xerinae and the tribe Protoxerini. They are only found in sub-Saharan Africa.The habit of basking in the sun on tree branches probably gave this group its common name....
, Tree Pangolin
Tree pangolin
The Tree Pangolin is one of eight extant species of pangolin and is native to equatorial Africa. Also known as the White-bellied Pangolin or Three-cusped Pangolin, it is the most common of the African forest pangolins.-Taxonomy:The Tree Pangolin belongs to the subgenus Phataginus and some...
, Warthog
Warthog
The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...
, Water chevrotain
Hyemoschus aquaticus
The water chevrotain , also known as the fanged deer, is a small ruminant found in tropical Africa. It is the largest of the ten species of chevrotains, evolutionarily primitive even-toed ungulates which are similar to deer but are barely larger than small dogs...
, Western Hartebeest
Western Hartebeest
The Western Hartebeest is an antelope native to the medium to tall grassland plains of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. It is possibly extirpated from Gambia.Average adult Western...
, White-tailed Mongoose
White-tailed Mongoose
The White-tailed Mongoose is the largest species of mongoose. It is the only member of the genus Ichneumia.-Range and Habitat:...
and wildcat
Wildcat
Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
.
While chimpanzee
Common Chimpanzee
The common chimpanzee , also known as the robust chimpanzee, is a great ape. Colloquially, the common chimpanzee is often called the chimpanzee , though technically this term refers to both species in the genus Pan: the common chimpanzee and the closely related bonobo, formerly called the pygmy...
are considered extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
from Burkina Faso, they may be migrating back into the country during the rainy season. Hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
are widespread but at low densities.
Reptiles
Three crocodileCrocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
species are found in the wild, Slender-snouted Crocodile
Slender-snouted Crocodile
The African Slender-snouted Crocodile is a species of crocodile. Recent studies in DNA and morphology suggest that it may belong in its own genus, Mecistops, but at present most continue to use Crocodylus for this species.African Slender-snouted Crocodile are native to freshwater habitats in...
, Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
, and Dwarf crocodile
Dwarf Crocodile
The dwarf crocodile is an African species of crocodile. It is also the smallest extant crocodile species in the world. Recent sampling has identified three genetically distinct populations...
. According to Bird Life International, there are 119 migrant birds which visit the country out of which 81 belong to palaearctic species including two species namely Falco naumanni (Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
) and Gallinago media (Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
) of global conservation concern. There are also 10 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified which cover 20260 km² accounting for 7.4% area of the country.
Birds
In Burkina Faso, as of 2005, 497 bird species of various families, including 35 rare
Rare
-In music:* Rare , a band from Northern Ireland* Rare , a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade* Rare , an album by the progressive rock band Asia* Rare , a compilation album by David Bowie...
or Accidental
Accidental
Accidental may mean:* Accidental * Accidental , by Fred Frith* Accidental , a biological phenomenon more commonly known as vagrancy* Accidental property, a philosophical term-See also:* Accident...
species, 12 near threatened species , three vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
species (Lesser Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel
The Lesser Kestrel is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across southern central Asia to China and Mongolia. It is a summer migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometimes even to India and Iraq. It is rare north of its breeding range, and declining in its European...
Falco naumanni, White-headed Vulture
White-headed Vulture
The White-headed Vulture is an Old World vulture endemic to Africa. It has a pink beak and a white crest, and the featherless areas on its head are pale. Its has dark brown upper parts and black tail feathers. The feathers on its lower parts and legs are white. It has a wing span of 2 m and spends...
Trigonoceps occipitalis and Beaudouin's Snake-Eagle
Beaudouin's Snake-eagle
Beaudouin's Snake Eagle is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.-References:*...
Circaetus beaudouini) and 1 endangered species (Egyptian Vulture
Egyptian Vulture
The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found widely distributed from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron. It has sometimes also been known as the White Scavenger Vulture or Pharaoh's Chicken...
Neophron percnopterus) have been reported. These cover species under several families such as: 13 of Anatidae
Anatidae
Anatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
, 1 of Numididae (Helmeted Guineafowl
Helmeted Guineafowl
The Helmeted Guineafowl is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida...
Numida meleagris), 6 of Phasianidae
Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
, 1 of Podicipedidae, 2 of Ciconiidae, 1 of Anhingidae (African darter
African Darter
The African Darter , sometimes called the Snakebird, is a water bird of sub-Saharan Africa.-Taxonomy:The African Darter is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to American , Oriental , and Australian Darters.-Description:The male is mainly glossy...
Anhinga rufa), 1 of Pelecanidae (Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus), 1 of Scopidae (Hamerkop Scopus umbretta), 17 of Ardeidae, 5 of Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae
The family Threskiornithidae includes 34 species of large terrestrial and wading birds, falling into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills. It was formerly known as Plataleidae. The spoonbills and ibises were once thought to be related to other groups of long-legged wading birds in the...
, 1 of Pandionidae family (Osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
Pandion haliaetus), 39 of Accipitridae
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
(mostly eagles, vultures and hawks), 1 of Sagittariidae (Secretary-bird Sagittarius serpentarius), 11 of Falconidae
Falconidae
The falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family is divided into two subfamiles, Polyborinae, which includes the caracaras and forest falcons, and Falconinae, the falcons, kestrels and falconets.-Description:Falcons and...
, 9 of Rallidae
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
, 1 of Rallidae
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
(African Finfoot
African Finfoot
The African Finfoot is an aquatic bird inhabiting the rivers and lakes of western, central, and southern Africa.-Description:...
Podica senegalensis), 6 of Otididae, 1 of Gruidae (Black Crowned-Crane Balearica pavonina), 3 of Burhinidae, 11 of Charadriidae
Charadriidae
The bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.- Morphology :They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings, but most species of lapwing may have more rounded wings...
, 2 of Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadrii. It contains two distinct groups of birds, the avocets and the stilts .-Description and diet:...
, 2 of Jacanidae, 18 of Scolopacidae
Scolopacidae
The sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
, 2 of Turnicidae, 5 of Glareolidae
Glareolidae
Glareolidae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadri. It contains two distinct groups, the pratincoles and the coursers. The coursers include the atypical Egyptian Plover, Pluvianus aegyptius, which has sometimes been placed in its own family...
, 1 of Rostratulidae (Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis), 8 of Laridae, 2 of Pteroclidae, 13 of Columbidae, 2 of Psittacidae, 2 of Musophagidae, 12 of Cuculidae (cuckoos), 1 of Tytonidae
Tytonidae
Barn-owls are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons...
(Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
Tyto alba), 8 of Strigidae, 8 of Apodidae, 1 of Coliidae (Blue-naped Mousebird
Blue-naped Mousebird
The Blue-naped Mousebird, Urocolius macrourus, is a bird found in the drier parts of eastern Africa. It has also been known as the "Blue-naped Coly" under binomial Colius macrourus.- Physical characteristics :...
Urocolius macrourus), 1 of Trogonidae (Narina Trogon
Narina Trogon
The Narina Trogon, Apaloderma narina, is a medium-sized , largely green forest bird in the Trogonidae family, the most widespread and catholic in habitat choice of three Apaloderma trogons...
Apaloderma narina), 9 of Alcedinidae, 8 of Meropidae , 5 of Coraciidae, 1 of Upupidae (Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops, 2 of Phoeniculidae, 4 of Bucerotidae, 4 of Lybiidae
Lybiidae
The Lybiidae is a bird family containing the African barbets. They were usually united with their American and Asian relatives in the Capitonidae for quite some time, but this has been confirmed to be limited to the main American lineage. There are 42 species ranging from the type genus Lybius of...
, 2 of Indicatoridae, 2 of Indicatoridae, 5 of Picidae
Picidae
The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions...
, 3 of Platysteiridae, 2 of Prionopidae, 9 of Malaconotidae, 2 of Campephagidae, 5 of Laniidae, 2 of Oriolidae, 3 of Dicruridae, 2 of Monarchidae, 3 of Corvidae
Corvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
, 1 of Nicatoridae (Yellow-spotted Nicator
Yellow-spotted Nicator
The Western Nicator is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family.-Distribution:It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia,...
Nicator chloris, 9 of Alaudidae, 17 of Hirundinidae, 1 of Stenostiridae
Stenostiridae
Stenostiridae, or the Fairy Flycatchers, is a family of small passerine birds proposed as a result of recent discoveries in molecular systematics . They are commonly referred to as stenostirid warblers....
(African Blue-Flycatcher
African Blue-flycatcher
The African Blue-flycatcher is a species of bird in the Stenostiridae family.-Distribution:It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,...
Elminia longicauda), 1 of Paridae (White-shouldered Black-Tit Parus guineensis), 2 of Remizidae, 1 of Certhiidae (Spotted Creeper
Spotted Creeper
The Spotted Creeper is a small passerine bird, which is the only member of the subfamily Salpornithinae of the treecreeper family Certhiidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and northern India in open deciduous forest and mango groves...
Salpornis spilonotus), 2 of Pycnonotidae, 4 of Phylloscopidae
Phylloscopidae
Phylloscopidae is a newly described family of small insectivorous birds formerly placed in the Old World warbler family. Its members occur in Eurasia, ranging into Wallacea and Africa...
, 6 of Acrocephalidae
Acrocephalidae
Acrocephalidae is a family of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea....
, 20 of Cisticolidae
Cisticolidae
The Cisticolidae family of small passerine birds is a group of about 110 warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae....
, 1 of Hyliotidae (Yellow-bellied Hyliota
Yellow-bellied Hyliota
The Yellow-Bellied Hyliota is a species of Old World warbler in the Sylviidae family.It is found in Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya,...
Hyliota flavigaster), 27 species of Muscicapidae, 3 of Turdidae, 3 of Timaliidae, 1 of Zosteropidae (African Yellow White-eye
African Yellow White-eye
The African Yellow White-eye is a species of bird in the Zosteropidae family.-Taxonomy:The taxa stenocricotus from Central Africa and kirki from the Comoros, by most authorities considered subspecies of the African Yellow White-eye, are occasionally considered separate species, the Cameroon Green...
Zosterops senegalensis), 9 of Sturnidae, 1 of Buphagidae (Yellow-billed Oxpecker
Yellow-billed Oxpecker
The Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus africanus, is a passerine bird in the starling and myna family Sturnidae; some ornithologists regard the Oxpeckers to be a separate family, the Buphagidae . It is native to the savannah of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Sudan...
Buphagus africanus), 8 of Motacillidae
Motacillidae
The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. There are around 65 species in 6 genera and they include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominately found in Europe, Africa and...
, 4 of Emberizidae
Emberizidae
The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
, 3 of Fringillidae, 3 of Passeridae, 19 of Ploceidae, 19 of Estrildidae and 6 of Viduidae.
Ten Important Bird Areas (IBAs) which cover about 20260 km² (7,822.4 sq mi) (7.4% of the area of the country). These have Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04) (with 30 of the 32 species of this biome), Sahel biome (A03) (with six of eight biome species) and with breeding colony of Gyps rueppellii in the Arli–W–Singou Park complex (accounting for more than 1% of the global population of the species). The number of resident bird species is reported by Birdlife International as 318, out of which 119 are migratory birds. Of the migratory birds 81 belong to Palaearctic family and two species are of global conservation concern, namely Falco naumanni (Vulnerable) and Gallinago media (Near Threatened).
Flora
Approximately 15% of the country has forest cover while wooded land constitutes approximately 34% of the area. Very little closed forest can be found and this is mainly of the gallery forestGallery forest
Gallery forests are evergreen forests that form as corridors along rivers or wetlands and project into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands or deserts....
type along waterway
Waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
s. The open forests include savanna of four types, namely Sahelian, Sahelian-Sudanian, Sudanian, and Sudanian-Guinean. Though much of the country is dry and sparse, vegetation can vary considerably. Northern Burkina Faso consists mainly of savanna, acacia woodland, and during the wet season, prickly shrubs and stunted trees flourish. Herbaceous plants include broadleaf deciduous, shrub, desert shrub, semi-desert savanna and thorny scrub. Crops include Banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
, Cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
, Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina . Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus...
, Cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, Guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
, Maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, Spinach
Spinach
Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
, Malabar Spinach
Basella alba
Basella alba, or Malabar spinach is a perennial vine found in the tropics where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable.-Names:...
, Millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, Onions, Papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
, Sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, Tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es, and Yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
s. Most of the country consists of sparse savanna grasslands, with the occasional shrub or acacia. Although the country only has about 15% forest cover overall, there are many forests in the south, growing denser along the banks of the perennial rivers. These include Diéfoula Forest
Diéfoula Forest
Diéfoula Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Comoé Province....
, Logoniégué Forest
Logoniégué Forest
Logoniégué Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Comoé Province....
, Laba Forest
Laba Forest
Laba Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Sanguié Province....
, Dida Forest
Dida Forest
Dida Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Comoé Province....
, Koulbi National Forest, Bontioli Reserve Forest, Nabere Partial Reserve Forest, Koflandé Forest
Koflandé Forest
Koflandé Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Comoé Province....
, Maro Forest, Tui Forest, Deux Balés Forest, Kalio Forest, Tisse Forest, Dibon Forest
Dibon Forest
Dibon Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Tuy Province....
, Pâ Forest
Pâ Forest
Pâ Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Balé Province....
, Mou Forest
Mou Forest
Mou Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Tuy Province....
, Boulon Forest
Boulon Forest
Boulon Forest is a protected forest in Burkina Faso.It is located in Comoé Province....
, Tigo Forest, Nakambe Forest and Niangoloko Forest, of which about 16% have official protection.
Poverty means that deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
is a problem in the country and each year the country loses approximately 32,000 hectares of forests, to make way for agriculture and for fuelwood, which around 90% of the national population are dependent upon. Numerous NGOs
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
are active in the country, educating farmers and encouraging them to minimize land clearing and plant trees as well as cultivate the land.
Trees of note include the shea tree (known as "Karité" in the local Dioula language
Dioula language
Jula is a Mande language spoken in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. It is one of the Manding languages, and is most closely related to Bambara, being mutually intelligible with Bambara as well as Malinke. It is a trade language in West Africa and is spoken by millions of people, either as a...
and the baobab
Baobab
Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island....
(hibiscus
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
tree). Although the shea tree is indigenous to the semi-arid Sahel
Sahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
region of West Africa, Burkina Faso contains the largest number of them. The shea tree is extremely important to the Burkinabe people and is termed as "women's gold" by the villagers, because the nuts of shea tree can be collected and then processed by crushing and grinding to yield shea butter
Shea butter
Shea butter is a slightly yellowish or ivory-colored fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree . It is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer, salve or lotion. Shea butter is edible and may be used in food preparation...
, important in cuisine and in exports, for use in the manufacture of chocolate and cosmetics such as soap. Shea nuts are the country's third most important export, after cotton and livestock; in 1997, an average tonne of unprocessed shea nuts sold domestically for CFA70,000 (US$980) and overseas for CFA1,00,000 (US$1400). The most important centres of shea butter production are in Sissili Province and Ziro Province. The bark of the tree is also used as an ingredient in traditional medicines and the shell of nut is said to be able to repel mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es and is also said to protect existing trees. The Bambara groundnut
Bambara groundnut
The Bambara groundnut is a member of the family Fabaceae. According to some authors it is Voandzeia subterranea, but others place it in Vigna. The plant originated in West Africa...
(Vigna subterranea) is also grown in abundance; Burkina Faso produced some 20,000 tonnes in 1989, after peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s (160,000 tonnes) and cowpeas (74,000 tonnes). Between 1982 and 1985, an attempt was made to improve the Bambara groundnut, an initiative which involved the participation of plant breeders in the Grain Legumes Programme.
The country contains populations of Vitellaria paradoxa trees, which often have problems with parasites of the 'Loranthaceae
Loranthaceae
Loranthaceae is a family of flowering plants, which has been universally recognized by taxonomists. It consists of about 75 genera and 1,000 species of woody plants, many of them hemi-parasites, all of them except three having the mistletoe habit...
family.
Four species of Tapinanthus
Tapinanthus
Tapinanthus is a genus of plant in family Loranthaceae. It contains, among others, the following species:* Tapinanthus letouzeyi, R.M. Polhill & D. Wiens* Tapinanthus preussii, Tiegh.* Tapinanthus globifer...
(Tapinanthus dodoneifolius, Tapinanthus globiferus, Tapinanthus ophiodes and Tapinanthus pentagonia) are widespread all across Burkina Faso and Mali and are also subject to being affected by pests. Other trees include Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
, Flamboyant Tree, Delonix regia, and Neem Tree.
Conservation
Fauna conservation areas were first established in 1926, which included five 'parcs de refuge' that covered 536,700 ha.Global Environment Facility
Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility unites 182 member governments — in partnership with international institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector — to address global environmental issues....
(GEF) in its report to the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
to promote conservation of natural habitat in Burkina Faso reported that the biodiversity species profile of Burkina Faso contain "655 wildlife species (mammals and birds); 330 aquatic species (includes 121 fish species), and 1054 plant species (751 grass, 304 tree and brush species)", based on meagre data. It was also noted that the natural habitats were found now only in parks, reserves and gazetted forests as agricultural operations dominated the scene in 70% area of the country. The oryx
Oryx
Oryx is one of four large antelope species of the genus Oryx. Three of the species are native to arid parts of Africa, with a fourth native to the Arabian Peninsula. Their pelage is pale with contrasing dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight...
, cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
, and giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
are reported to be totally extinct, probably includes Burkina redneck ostrich. The nearing extinction species were reported to be black and white colobus, dama gazelle
Dama Gazelle
The Dama Gazelle is a species of gazelle. It lives in Africa in the Sahara desert and migrates south in search of food during the dry season. Their habitat includes open steppes, bushy, grassy steppes, semi-desert, and deserts, while their diet includes grasses, leaves, shoots, fruit, and...
, leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
and topi
Topi
The Tsessebe , is one of five subspecies in the binomial class D. lunatus. The other subspecies include Korrigum , Tiang , Coastal Topi , and Topi . Tesessebe are found primarily in Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa...
. This alarming situation of loss of biodiversity resulted in creation of national operational strategies not only for rural development in 2001 but also for reforms in the wildlife and protected area sector in 1995 (a Forestry Code was introduced defining the National Forestry Policy and establishing 12 Wildlife Conservation Units covering the entire country in followed in 1996) and Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in 2000 with the objective stated as to "ensure responsible management of biological diversity by the populations by 2025".
In conservation and sustainable resources management efforts, the IBA Local Conservation Group with help from BirdLife Partners around the world have set up "Site Support Groups" in Burkina Faso, which was initially begun in 1959 to count birds. This resulted in training of local volunteers as ornithologists. In 2009, Vogelwacht Utrecht, a Dutch regional volunteer birding group, supported efforts conserve migratory birds. Cambridgeshire Bird Club in the UK has also pitched in with support. However, all these efforts are concentrated at Lake Oursi
Mare d'Oursi
The Mare d'Oursi is a small, shallow lake in Oudalan Province in northern Burkina Faso, close to the town of Oursi. It is included in the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance....
(included in the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance) and are yet to permeate to a national scale.