The Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve in

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesUNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. It covers both the eastern half of the

Aïr Mountains The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif ( tmh, Ayăr; Hausa: Eastern ''Azbin'', Western ''Abzin'') is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion, the ...

and the western sections of the

Ténéré desert The Ténéré (Tuareg: Tenere, literally: "desert") is a desert region in the south central Sahara. It comprises a vast plain of sand stretching from northeastern Niger into western Chad, occupying an area of over . The Ténéré's boundaries a ...

. It has been identified by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

. The Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

was established in 1991, and designated as a site in danger in 1992. It was designated under criteria vii, ix, x, and is designated #573. The entire reserve covers , which made it the second largest nature reserve in Africa, and the fourth largest in the world. UNESCO's Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves include two parts: ;Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve :

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

type IVnep-wcmc site record
/ref> :Established 1 January 1988 :64,560 km² ; Aïr and Ténéré Addax Sanctuary :Strict Nature Reserve IUCN type Ia :Established 1 January 1988 :12,800 km²

References

Jennifer Talbot. The Tuareg People and the Air Tenere Conservation and Development Project, Niger, West Africa
POPULATION-ENVIRONMENT DYNAMICS:TRANSITIONS AND SUSTAINABILITY, University of Michigan, 1998.

External links

UNESCO World Heritage Site profile

UNEP-WCMC World Heritage Site datasheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Air And Tenere National Nature Reserve National parks of Niger Protected areas established in 1988 Important Bird Areas of Niger World Heritage Sites in Niger