The Oti Valley Faunal Reserve is a protected area in northeastern Togo, one of four Important Bird Areas (IBA) in the country. The site is mainly savanna and seasonally inundated floodplains on either side of the Oti River. It has a total area of 147,840 hectares (365,300 acres) and is located at 10°35'N and 0°40'E. [1]
The site is in the Savanes Region of northeastern Togo, extending from the border with Burkina Faso and Benin, southwards to the edge of the Kéran National Park, another IBA, just to the east of the city of Sansanné-Mango. The grassland is largely composed of Andropogon , Heteropogon and Hyparrhenia species, with a scattering of Borassus aethiopum . In the gallery forests by the watercourses, Diospyros mespiliformis and Anogeissus leiocarpa predominate, along with the lower-growing Mimosa pigra and Mitragyna inermis . There are also pockets of Sudanian Savanna, with Acacia species, Combretum species, Tamarindus indica and Balanites aegyptiaca . [1] .
Birds typical of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome found here include the fox kestrel, the Senegal parrot, the violet turaco, the red-throated bee-eater, the bearded barbet, the sun lark, the yellow-billed shrike, the blackcap babbler, the green-backed eremomela, the splendid sunbird, the black-rumped waxbill, the Sahel bush sparrow, the Heuglin's masked weaver, the purple starling, the piapiac, the Narina trogon and the Oriole warbler. [1]
Wetland birds visiting the reserve include the black crowned crane, the grey heron, the white stork, the spur-winged goose and the collared pratincole. The saddle-billed stork breeds here and the white-backed night heron is an occasional visitor. Additionally, the pallid harrier and the great snipe have been recorded at the reserve, and the red-fronted gazelle, [1] rated as "vulnerable" by the IUCN, [2] is also present. [1]
Despite being listed as a faunal reserve, the area is threatened by illegal settlements, poaching and the gathering of firewood. The flow of the river may also vary because of the construction of a dam upstream in Burkina Faso. [1] In addition, in 2008 the Bassin versant Oti-Mandouri was designated as a Ramsar site, a wetland habitat of international importance. [3] [4]
The W National Park or W Regional Park is a major national park in West Africa around a meander in the River Niger shaped like the letter W. The park includes areas of the three countries Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso, and is governed by the three governments. Until 2008, the implementation of a regional management was supported by the EU-funded project ECOPAS. The three national parks operate under the name W Transborder Park.. The section of W National Park lying in Benin, measuring over 8,000 km2 (3,100 sq mi), came under the full management of African Parks in June 2020. In Benin, W National Park is contiguous with Pendjari National Park which is also under the management of African Parks.
The Pendjari National Park lies in north western Benin, adjoining the Arli National Park in Burkina Faso. Named for the Pendjari River, the national park is known for its wildlife and is home to some of the last populations of big game like the African forest elephant, lion, hippopotamus, African buffalo, and various antelopes in West Africa. The park is also famous for its richness in birds.
The Oti River or Pendjari River is an international river in West Africa. It rises in Benin, forms the border between Benin and Burkina Faso, flows through Togo, and joins the Volta River in Ghana.
Oti-Kéran National Park is located in the north of Togo, in the Kara area. There is only one road going through this area. Not many tourists visit Togo as the main national parks are more accessible in Ghana.
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The wildlife of Togo is composed of the flora and fauna of Togo, a country in West Africa. Despite its small size the country has a diversity of habitats; there are only remnants of the once more extensive rain forests in the south, there is Sudanian Savanna in the north-western part of the country and larger areas of Guinean forest-savanna mosaic in the centre and northeast. The climate is tropical with distinct wet and dry seasons. There are estimated to be over 3000 species of vascular plant in the country, and 196 species of mammal and 676 species of bird have been recorded there.
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