Guembeul Natural Reserve (fr. Réserve spéciale de faune de Guembeul) is a

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologi ...

located about 10 km south of

Saint-Louis, Senegal Saint-Louis () or Saint Louis (), is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and north of Senegal's capital city Dakar. It had a population of 254,171 in 2023. Saint-L ...

, in the Gandiol region. It covers an area of 720

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...

, and was designated an

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

category IV Faunal Reserve in 1983. Guembeul 5981

The park is home to many species of birds, reptiles and mammals. The site is also the center for reintroduction programs of three species of

gazelles A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ' ...

and is home to the

African spurred tortoise The African spurred tortoise (''Centrochelys sulcata''), also called the sulcata tortoise, is an endangered species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara, Sahara Desert, the Sahel, in Africa. It is the largest mainland species o ...

References

External links

World Database of Protected Areas record

Ministre de l'Environnement et de la Protection de la Nature
parks listings. Parks in Senegal Saint-Louis, Senegal Protected areas established in 1983 Nature reserves in Senegal Ramsar sites in Senegal {{Africa-protected-area-stub