Waza National Park is a

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

in the Department of Logone-et-Chari, in

Far North Region Far North may refer to: Places * Far North (Russia), a part of Russia which lies beyond the Arctic Circle * Far North Alaska, United States * Far North (Canada) * Norte Grande, one of the five natural regions of Chile according to CORFO * Far Nor ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west- central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...

. It was founded in 1934 as a

hunting reserve A game reserve (also known as a wildlife preserve or a game park) is a large area of land where wild animals live safely or are hunted in a controlled way for sport. If hunting is prohibited, a game reserve may be considered a nature reserve; ...

, and covers a total of . Waza achieved national park status in 1968, and became a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

biosphere 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, or features of geological or o ...

in 1979. For the preservation and conservation of the biodiversity of the park, a Management Master Plan was drawn up in 1997, reported to be the first of its kind in Cameroon. The park is adjacent to the Chingurmi-Duguma sector of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

Chad Basin National Park The Chad Basin National Park is a national park in northeastern Nigeria, in the Chad Basin, with a total area of about 2,258 km2. The park is fragmented, with three sectors. The Chingurmi-Duguma sector is in Borno State, in a Sudanian S ...

. There is also a proposal to combine this park with the Waza Logone floodplain as a

Ramsar Site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) ** The forest dwellers who had their villages within the park were resettled on the borders of the park, after it was established. This was done with the objective of creating a social buffer to poaching activities and preserve the park's resources. The dominant vegetation is in the transition zone between the

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...

and Sudan

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

, containing

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus n ...

and open

Yaéré The Yaéré, from Fula ', is the name of a vast annually- flooded grassland and savanna, part of the extensive floodplains around the shallow and variable Lake Chad in Central Africa. The Yaéré is part of the Lake Chad flooded savanna ecoregion. A ...

savannah forests. The prominent faunal species reported to inhabit the park are the

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

, African bush elephant,

hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...

hartebeest The hartebeest (; ''Alcelaphus buselaphus''), also known as kongoni or kaama, is an African antelope. It is the only member of the genus ''Alcelaphus''. Eight subspecies have been described, including two sometimes considered to be indepen ...

, roan antelope, Kob,

waterbuck The waterbuck (''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'') is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus '' Kobus'' of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. Its 13 subspecies ar ...

, reed,

gazelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, ''Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third ...

, Sudan cheetah and West African giraffe. The avifauna reported are

geese A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the she ...

egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same buil ...

s, North African ostriches,

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychu ...

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

s, saddle-billed storks and

ibis The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word f ...

Geography

The park is bounded by the town of Waza to its west, the border with Nigeria, and Chad is only away. The seasonally-flooded "

" floodplain marks the east and north-east, and the

Maroua Maroua (Fula: Marwa 𞤥𞤢𞤪𞤱𞤢) is the capital of the Far North Region of Cameroon, stretching along the banks of the Ferngo and Kaliao Rivers, in the foothills of the Mandara Mountains. The city had 301,371 inhabitants at the 2005 C ...

–

Kousséri Kousséri (from ar, قصور ''quṣūr'' meaning "palaces"), founded and known as Mser in the indigenous Mser language is a city in Far North Province, Cameroon. It is the capital of the Logone-et-Chari department. It is a market town, and ...

road is to the west. Parc Waza12

The park's habitat is mainly in the “Chad depression” with average elevation in the range of a , thought the highest ground goes up to near Waza village. The topography of the park, however, is generally flat. Sand dunes in the western area of the park denote past desert conditions. The Chad depression was originally covered by

Lake Chad Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme ...

. The land classification consists of terrestrial landscapes to the extent of 88%, and the park has 7% shrub land and 5% grassland. The climate is mostly semi-arid as the average annual precipitation is only and erratic in its incidence. The rainy months are June to October and the dry season is from November to May, and can sometimes start as early as October. Mean annual temperature is . The coolest month is December recording a mean monthly minimum temperature of and maximum of . In April, just prior to start of rainy season, the mean monthly minimum is and maximum is . Soil formations resulting from the erosion of the high mountains in the park primarily consist of tropical ferruginous soils in catenas, hydromorphic soils and vertisols. Heavy clays are the dominant soil type in the park. With the above topographic, climatic and soil settings, the vegetation types which cover the park are categorized under five broad types of open ''

combretaceous The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, ''Combret ...

'' shrub savanna, '' anogeissus leiocarpus''

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

, ''

lannea humilis ''Lannea'' is a genus of plants in the family Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anaca ...

'' open grass savanna, ''acacia seyal'' tree savanna and Yaéré floodplains with perennial grasses. In the desert conditions, with no perennial streams flowing through the park area, there are no perennial grasses in the park. The water holes are created for animals. The combretaceous shrub savanna consist of '' Sclerocarya birrea'' tree savanna, '' Combretum'' and '' Terminalia'' shrubs and the doum palm ''

Hyphaene thebaica ''Hyphaene thebaica'', with common names doum palm (Ar: دوم) and gingerbread tree (also mistakenly doom palm), is a type of palm tree with edible oval fruit. It is a native to the Arabian Peninsula and also to the northern half and western pa ...

''. The '' Anogeissus leiocarpus'' woodland is in sandy soils with '' Mitragyna inermis'' in pockets near temporary water bodies. Lannea humilis are open grass savanna combined with short annual grasses. Patches of trees and stands of '' Mitragyna inermis'' are also reported from small islands near temporary water bodies. In this condition, vegetation reported are in the formations of compact clay. However, the area is very saline due to high evaporation. The fourth category of vegetation comprises Acacia seyal tree savanna growing in black clay soils which gets highly saturated during the rainy months; grasses in these conditions spread very slowly or may even dry up. The last type of vegetation is reported in the Yaéré flood plains, an important area to maintain perennial grasses in the park. The grasses reported are: '' Vetiveria nigritana'', '' Oryza barthii'', ''

Echinochloa pyramidalis ''Echinochloa pyramidalis'' is a species of large grass, occurring naturally in flooded regions and beside lakes in tropical Africa and America, and introduced to various other countries. It is commonly known as antelope grass. Description ''Ec ...

'' and ''

Echinochloa stagnina ''Echinochloa stagnina'' (Burgu millet, bourgou, hippo grass) is a species of ''Echinochloa'' widespread in tropical Africa and Asia, with an invasive status in many Pacific islands. It was once one of the major grasses cultivated in the Inner N ...

'' and a few herbaceous legumes with '' Sesbania pachycarpa.'' However, in these conditions, where there are no trees, forest fires are common. A particular feature in the central and western parts of the park was that substantial areas were of annual grasses and herbs, interspersed by Acacia seyal shrublands. They were subject to seasonal flooding before the construction of the Maga dam. The park is to the north of Maroua and off Kousseri, and has paved roads. The park is open to the public only from 15 November to 15 June and a guide is mandatory to see the wildlife, according to the rules of the park.

Wildlife

The mammal population in the park is one of the largest in central

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mau ...

. There are 30 species of mammals in the park. Some of the species of interest from the conservation angle are the red-fronted gazelle (''Gazella rufifrons'') ( VU), whose population is on the rise, and the korrigum (''Damaliscus lunatus korrigum'') (VU), which is stable. The endangered African bush elephant, which feeds in the '' Vachellia seyal'' shrublands, creates conflicts even with farmers located far away. Since 2005, the protected area is considered a Lion Conservation Unit. Waza National Park harbours a dwindling

population. In 2010, 14–21 lions were estimated to survive. Waza National Park is also home for one of the last populations of the

Kordofan giraffe The Kordofan giraffe (''Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum'') is a subspecies of giraffe found in northern Cameroon, southern Chad, the Central African Republic, and possibly western Sudan. Historically some confusion has existed over the exact ...

(''G. c. antiquorum''). Kob antelope have increased to 5000 in the 1990s since a strong decline in the 1980s. Other large

ungulate Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraff ...

s are warthog and roan.

Ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There a ...

es have been recorded. Elephants congregate at Mare aux Éléphants, a famous watering hole. Other species noted are

, tsessebe,

olive baboon The olive baboon (''Papio anubis''), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae Old World monkeys. The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons, being native to 25 countries throughout Africa, extending fr ...

patas The common patas monkey (''Erythrocebus patas''), also known as the wadi monkey or hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. Taxonomy There is some confusion surrounding ...

and

vervet monkey The vervet monkey (''Chlorocebus pygerythrus''), or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus '' Chlorocebus''. The five distinc ...

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia ...

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

and

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

aardvark The aardvark ( ; ''Orycteropus afer'') is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. Unlike ...

. Amphibians include the eponymous frog ''

Kassina wazae ''Kassina'' is a genus of hyperoliid frogs, commonly referred to as running frogs or kassinas. They are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They are characterized by preferring a distinctive "walking" with the back legs instead of the more tra ...

'' and Waza toad ''

Bufo wazae The subdesert toad (''Amietophrynus xeros'') is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, S ...

'', the latter now included in ''

Sclerophrys xeros The subdesert toad (''Amietophrynus xeros'') is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tanza ...

''.

Avifauna

There are 379 species of birds in the park including the contiguous Logone floodplain; among the birds that have been sighted are marbled duck, ferruginous duck, greater spotted eagle, scissor-tailed kite in grass lands, lesser kestrel, Nubian bustard (''Neotis nuba''), quail-plover,

Arabian bustard The Arabian bustard (''Ardeotis arabs'') is a species of bustard which is found across the Sahel region of Africa and south western Arabia. It is part of the large-bodied genus, ''Ardeotis'', and, though little known, appears to be a fairly typi ...

''Ardeotis arabs'',

Cattle Egret The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard ...

hornbill Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandib ...

, various species of storks,

Abyssinian roller The Abyssinian roller (''Coracias abyssinicus''), or Senegal roller, is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across tropical Africa in a belt south of the Sahara, known as the Sahel. It is resident in the southern part of its ra ...

, and

. However, some of the species of global conservation concern are: '' Marmaronetta angustirostris'', ''

Aythya nyroca The ferruginous duck (''Aythya nyroca''), also known as ferruginous pochard, common white-eye or white-eyed pochard, is a medium-sized diving duck from Eurosiberia. The scientific name is derived from Greek '' aithuia'' an unidentified seabi ...

'', ''

Clanga clanga The greater spotted eagle (''Clanga clanga''), occasionally called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Its feathered legs indicate it is a member of the subfamily Aquili ...

'', '' Falco naumanni'', '' Neotis nuba'', which has been recorded once, in 1998. The grassland species of birds reported are: ''

Ortyxelos meiffrenii The quail-plover, lark buttonquail or lark-plover (''Ortyxelos meiffrenii'') is a small ground-living bird in the buttonquail family Turnicidae that is found in the Sahel region of Africa and in a disjunct region of East Africa. It is the only s ...

'', ''

Ardeotis arabs The Arabian bustard (''Ardeotis arabs'') is a species of bustard which is found across the Sahel region of Africa and south western Arabia. It is part of the large-bodied genus, '' Ardeotis'', and, though little known, appears to be a fairly typ ...

'', '' Struthio camelus'' population in very large number of '' Dendrocygna viduata'' and '' Balearica pavonina''. Water bird species seen throughout the year is reported to be more than 20,000. The key list of birds reported 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 ...

is:

garganey The garganey (''Spatula querquedula'') is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and across the Palearctic, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India (in particular Santragachi), Banglad ...

(''Anas querquedula''), great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus''), fox kestrel (''Falco alopex''), pallid harrier (''Circus macrourus''), Savile's bustard (''Eupodotis savilei''), black crowned-crane (''Balearica pavonina''),

African collared-dove The African collared dove (''Streptopelia roseogrisea'') is a small dove found in the Sahel, northern parts of the Horn of Africa and southwestern Arabia. Although it lives in arid lands, it is found around water sources. This bird is typica ...

(''Streptopelia roseogrisea''), Senegal parrot (''Poicephalus senegalus''),

red-throated bee-eater The red-throated bee-eater (''Merops bulocki'') is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. This species is found in tropical Africa, in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coas ...

(''Merops bulocki''),

Sahelian woodpecker The little grey woodpecker (''Dendropicos elachus''), also known as the Sahelian woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan. This spec ...

(''Dendropicos elachus''), piapiac (''Ptilostomus afer''),

Sennar penduline-tit The Sennar penduline tit (''Anthoscopus punctifrons'') is a species of bird in the family Remizidae, the most northerly member of the genus ''Anthoscopus''. It is found in Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Seneg ...

(''Anthoscopus punctifrons''),

red-pate cisticola The red-pate cisticola (''Cisticola ruficeps'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, M ...

(''Cisticola ruficeps''), river prinia (''Prinia fluviatilis''), Senegal eremomela (''Eremomela pusilla''),

purple glossy-starling The purple starling (''Lamprotornis purpureus''), also known as the purple glossy starling, is a member of the starling family of birds. Distribution and habitat It is a resident breeder in tropical Africa from Senegal and north Zaire east t ...

(''Lamprotornis purpureus''),

chestnut-bellied starling The chestnut-bellied starling (''Lamprotornis pulcher'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. This is a common resident in arid Sahelian acacia savanna, namely in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guine ...

(''Lamprotornis pulcher''), black scrub-robin (''Cercotrichas podobe''), chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver (''Plocepasser superciliosus''),

Sudan golden sparrow The Sudan golden sparrow (''Passer luteus'') is a small species of bird in the sparrow family found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a famous cage bird, and in aviculture, it is known as the golden song sparrow. The Arabian golden sparrow and this s ...

(''Passer luteus''),

bush petronia The Sahel bush sparrow (''Gymnoris dentata'') or bush petronia, is a species of bird in the family Passeridae. It is found in Africa from Mauritania to Guinea and east to Eritrea and the south-western Arabian Peninsula in its natural habitats of ...

(''Petronia dentata''), black-rumped waxbill (''Estrilda troglodytes''), and waterbirds

Threats

Water supply to the depressions in the park has become a major issue for preservation of biodiversity. This situation has arisen on account of construction of the Maga Dam about to the south of the park. Irrigation embankments have also been built along the Logone River, which resulted in poorer grasslands and total elimination of fisheries in some areas. This also resulted in drastic reduction of the antelope population. Under the Logone Project artificial waterholes were dug, providing water all through the year, but the

carrying capacity The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available. The carrying capacity is defined as t ...

of the floodplain has remained low.
A study carried out on the effect of elephants on the survival of acacia trees discovered that the impact is not serious, but needs be monitored in order to ensure that the vegetation in the park is well conserved. The study stresses inter-alia the need to restore the hydrological balance of the Waza–Logone floodplain.
Field studies carried out on the killings of lions by poachers in Waza park has indicated that only about 40 lions remain, and they may soon become extinct. One of the reasons attributed to this is inadequate patrolling. Though the IUCN prescribed a norm of one guard to 5000 ha of protected area, the eco-guards in the park number far less. This situation is now fairly addressed.

Management

The park is managed by the Conservation Service of the Waza National Park, part of the Cameroon Ministry of Environment and the Protection of Nature. Waza, which was considered the best-managed protected area in Cameroon, now has established collaboration with the IUCN Waza-Logone project to improve the water availability conditions, specifically in Waza National Park () and the much smaller Kalamaloue National Park (), as well as other areas adjoining them through the Waza-Logone Project. The area covered under this project, which forms the flood plains of the basin covered by the two river systems of the Logone River to the Logomatya River, contributed significantly to the floodplain Biosphere Reserve, and sustained a very large number of mammals and birds which depended on the annual inundation of the flood plain. With the construction of the

Maga Dam Maga Dam is a dam located south of Lake Chad near the border of Chad and Cameroon. History It was constructed in 1979. In 1994 a pilot program was started to drain some water back into the floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or botto ...

, built for irrigated agriculture of rice, the water resource contribution to the flood plains underwent a drastic reduction. To improve the sustainability of the flood plains of the two parks, IUCN embarked on a project titled "IUCN’s Waza-Logone Project" with specific objectives of improving fish production, enhance the quality of grazing lands on which the local population were dependent; and to also increase the surface water for subsistence and proliferation of vegetation and wildlife, including avifauna not only of resident birds but also birds that migrate from Europe during the winter season. Under this project, launched by IUCN in 1994 in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and the Protection of Nature of Cameroon, the hydrological condition of the wetland has undergone improvements following creation of two seasonal watercourses that interconnect the Logone River with the Logomatya River and facilitates water flows spreading to the floodplains. This plan has worked out well and wetlands conditions of the flood plains is reported to have improved substantially. Under this project, a management plan has been evolved. A local steering committee has become functional. The project has envisaged controlled harvesting of a few natural products such as

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a numbe ...

and

gum arabic Gum arabic, also known as gum sudani, acacia gum, Arabic gum, gum acacia, acacia, Senegal gum, Indian gum, and by other names, is a natural gum originally consisting of the hardened sap of two species of the ''Acacia'' tree, ''Senegalia se ...

under field trials, though their extraction has continued even after the park was established. In 1983, the park had a staff of twenty-five rangers; however, as of 2005, that number had dropped to seven, and poachers from

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Repub ...

, and Cameroon itself were reported to have gone on a "rampage for the park’s resources." Also in 2005 the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

World Conservation Union 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 natur ...

Committee agreed to pay for an additional sixteen "eco-rangers" who would assist the regular ones. Floodplain rehabilitation to enhance the carrying capacity of the flood-plain started in 1994, and is reported to have some beneficial effects in the park. As the Waza National Park is the major beneficiary from the project, the statistics show that 370 species of resident and migratory birds are now found in the Waza-Logone area which covers eight specific habitat types, and the number of waterfowl had increased from 59,000 in 1993 to 87,000 in 1997. Similarly, fish production from the flood plains had increased to 2,000 tonnes (dry weight) in 1996/1997 (fish species bred covered

Clarias ''Clarias'' is a genus of catfishes ( order Siluriformes) of the family Clariidae, the airbreathing catfishes. The name is derived from the Greek ''chlaros'', which means lively, in reference to the ability of the fish to live for a long time out ...

sp.,

Tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most i ...

sp., Alestes sp., Petrocephalus sp., Labeo sp. and many others. The yield from the pastures was reflected in the growth of livestock to about 100,000 units in the dry season.

References

External links

*
YouTube: Parc Waza
(in the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in ...

) {{authority control National parks of Cameroon Biosphere reserves of Cameroon Far North Region (Cameroon) Protected areas established in 1934