Arly-Singou is a large
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...
in
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
.
It encompasses the
Arli National Park and the
Singou Reserve.
It is considered to comprise part of the most significant and important
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
woodland wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...
areas still existing in
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
.
Fauna and history
In 1980, aerial counts revealed that the largest
antelope
The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...
population in the entire region inhabited the Arly-Singou complex. More recent studies indicate that the antelope population has been sustained by the end of the 20th century.
In 2003, herds of
African elephant,
buffalo,
roan antelope,
western hartebeest
The western hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus major'') is an antelope native to the medium to tall grassland plains of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger ...
,
oribi, Grimm's
duiker
A duiker is a small to medium-sized brown antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa, found in heavily wooded areas. The 22 extant species, including three sometimes considered to be subspecies of the other species, form the subfamily Cephalophinae ...
, Buffon's
kob,
bushbuck,
waterbuck,
bohor reedbuck and groups of
warthog,
anubis baboon and
Patas monkey were recorded in Arly-Singou during an aerial survey.
[ In 2002, it was estimated that between 364 and 444 ]lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
s reside in Arly-Singou, based on information by local people. But census data were not available.endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
painted hunting dog, ''Lycaon pictus'', occurred in Burkina Faso within the Arly-Singou ecosystem, but, although last sightings were made in Arli National Park, the species is considered extirpated throughout Burkina Faso.government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
in the area. However, the project also permits private operators to share and hold authority of the area's management, in a bid to take advantage of the benefits of greater external funds, from these operators.
See also
* W-Arly-Pendjari Complex
References
Further reading
*
*
*
{{authority control
Ecoregions
Geography of Burkina Faso
Nature conservation in Burkina Faso
National parks of Burkina Faso