Dénombrement de la grande et moyenne faune mammalienne, terrestre, diurne, du parc national du Niokolo Koba
Senegal
Objectives
Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981, Niokolo-Koba National Park was also inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2007, in particular because of the critically low mammal populations and of the ongoing management issues.
The main objective of this project was to assess the stocks of large and medium diurnal terrestrial wildlife of the Park to guide the necessary decision-making in its management.The specific objectives were to:
- Determine the size and the densities of different species;
- Determine the spatial distribution of species;
- Record poaching indices in the Park.
Results
The census of species took place from 07 to 20 April 2015. It confirmed the presence of threatened species such as Derby Eland and chimpanzee and noted positive signs of increased wildlife within the property. The lion, assumed absent from the property for several years, is now present. The most noteworthy observations concern the wild dog that has been regularly observed by Park rangers and researchers. However, the global numbers of wildlife in the property remain low and the situation of the elephant is particularly precarious with only one individual observed on a regular basis.
This inventory allowed for the update of the indicators used to assess the state of conservation of the property and decide on its retention or not on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
This request was financed thanks to a contribution from
the Government of Finland.