Badiar National Park

Badiar National Park
Map showing the location of Badiar National Park
Map showing the location of Badiar National Park
LocationGuinea
Nearest cityKoundara
Coordinates12°35′49″N 13°20′48″W / 12.5969944°N 13.346622°W / 12.5969944; -13.346622
Area1,228 km2 (474 sq mi)
Established1985

Badiar National Park (French: Parc National du Badiar) is a national park in Guinea, on the border with Senegal and contiguous with Senegal's much larger Niokolo-Koba National Park.[1] It was established on 30 May 1985 (by ordonnance N°124/PRG/85), partly in response to Senegal's concern about poaching in Niokolo-Koba National Park.[1] Badiar is an International Union for Conservation of Nature Category II park.[2]

Geography

The park consists of two separate areas: the Mafou sector of 554 km2 (214 sq mi) and the Kouya sector of 674 km2 (260 sq mi).[1] There is also a buffer sector of 5,916 km2 (2,284 sq mi) around the Mafou sector.[1] The principal rivers are the Koulountou (one of the two main tributaries of the Gambia River[3]) and the Mitji.[4] The annual rainfall averages 1,000 to 1,500 mm (39 to 59 in),[4] mostly during the rainy season of June–October.

Environment

The park is an important ecosystem, with a large variety of vertebrate species and vascular plants.[citation needed] It is one of the three core areas of the Badiar Biosphere Reserve, established in 2002 and covering 2,843 square kilometres (1,098 sq mi), that also includes the neighbouring forest of Southern Badiar and the Forest of Ndama.[1] The terrain includes savanna, open woodlands and gallery forest.[5] The eastern part of the park contains scrub woodland, while the western part is characterised by wooded savanna and open forest.[4] Endangered plant species include Ceiba pentandra, Cassia sieberiana and Combretum micranthum.[citation needed]

Endangered animal species found within the park include the Western red colobus,[1] western chimpanzee, white stork, African rock python and ball python.[citation needed] Other resident species include the African elephant, roan antelope, kob, giant eland, leopard, spotted hyena and Guinea baboon.[5] The park has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of violet turacos, red-throated bee-eaters, blue-bellied rollers, Senegal parrots, piapiacs, black-capped babblers, purple starlings, white-crowned robin-chats, bar-breasted firefinches and Sahel bush sparrows.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Brugiere, David; Kormos, Rebecca (April 2009). "Review of the protected area network in Guinea, West Africa, and recommendations for new sites for biodiversity conservation". Biodiversity and Conservation. 18 (4): 847–868. doi:10.1007/s10531-008-9508-z.
  2. ^ An IUCN situation analysis of terrestrial and freshwater fauna in West and Central Africa. IUCN. 1 June 2015. p. 59. ISBN 9782831717210.
  3. ^ Sayre, Roger (2011). From Space to Place: An Image Atlas of World Heritage Sites on the 'in Danger' List. UNESCO. p. 72. ISBN 9789231042270.
  4. ^ a b c "Badiar". BirdLife International.
  5. ^ a b Riley, Laura; Riley, William (January 2005). Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves. Princeton University Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780691122199.
  6. ^ "Badiar". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.