Oti-Kéran National Park is located in the north of
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
, in the Kara area. There is only one road going through this area. Not many tourists visit Togo as the main
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
s are more accessible in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
.
Social impact
The Oti-Kéran National Park belongs to a network of nature reserves in northern Togo that has been originally considerably expanded since the 1960s. These actions were undertaken without consent and participation of the local population. Instead of gaining income from
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
and other business opportunities potentially linked to the national parks, people were removed from their land and agricultural developments were abandoned, resulting in an increase of
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
and even
hunger
In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...
. Additionally, wildlife - especially
elephants
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and ...
- from the protected but not fenced areas caused damage to fields and crops in the surrounding communities.
This led to antipathy by the local population against the protected areas and the wildlife. During political turmoil in 1990 this hatred broke free by massive attacks against the protected areas and mass-slaughtering of animals, resulting in a major destruction of the environment.
Re-organisation since 1999
As a result of widespread destruction and human invasion into the protected areas, Togolese authorities reformed the park boundaries since 1999. Peripheral areas deemed too much destroyed to be re-naturalized have been excluded from the national park and officially deallocated for human development. This shrunk the size of the national park, now named the Oti-Kéran National Park, from 179550 to 69000
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s. What remained is planned to form part of a future
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 ...
, linked by the Oti-Mandouri National Park to the WAP ( W, Arli, Pendjari) protected area system in
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
,
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
, and
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesCFA (U$100000-120000) in Oti-Kéran alone. At the time it was considered a regional model for protected area ecotourism development and photographs still exist of herds of elephants and other key tourist attractions in the Park. Today the entire infrastructure is ruined and the ecotourism sector has not really restarted in the area of Oti-Kéran after the long period of socio-political troubles. Very few regional tourists arrive from neighboring countries (WAP complex Niger, Burkina Faso, Benin), but there are no adequate facilities or accommodation in Togo to encourage them to stay longer. The national Ministry of Tourism is concentrating its efforts in the Plateau Region and considers it necessary for management of protected areas in the Oti-Keran / Oti-Mandouri Complex to be revitalized and for habitats and fauna to be re-established before ecotourism plans can be developed.
Fauna
The destructions of the 1990s resulted in a reduced faunal
diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
of the Togolese national parks compared to those in neighbouring
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
and
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
. An assessment in 2008 listed the following species though stating that their status is uncertain:
Mammals
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
* African elephant (''Loxodonta africana'') - A common sighting and attraction during the 1980s, elephants were probably nearly extirpated in the 1990s. An aerial survey in 2003 failed to find elephants in the park. Today, sporadic occurrences of migrating individuals and groups are reported. An
UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
project from 2010 aims to reestablish a population of about 20 animals in the park.
*
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 from ...
(''Papio anubis'')
*
Tantalus monkey
The tantalus monkey (''Chlorocebus tantalus'') is an Old World monkey from Africa that ranges from Ghana to Sudan. It was originally described as a subspecies of the grivet (''Chlorocebus aethiops''). All species in ''Chlorocebus'' were formerly ...
(''Chlorocebus tantalus'') - Often listed as ''Cercopithecus aethiops''.
*
Patas monkey
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 ...
(''Erythrocebus patas'') - The presence of this species was confirmed by an aerial survey in 2003.
*
Kob
The kob (''Kobus kob'') is an antelope found across Central Africa and parts of West Africa and East Africa. Together with the closely related reedbucks, waterbucks, lechwe, Nile lechwe, and puku, it forms the Reduncinae tribe. Found along ...
(''Kobus kob kob'') - The presence of this species was confirmed by an aerial survey in 2003.
*
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 ...
(''Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa'') - The presence of this species was confirmed by an aerial survey in 2003.
*
Red-flanked duiker
The red-flanked duiker (''Cephalophus rufilatus'') is a species of small antelope found in western and central Africa in countries as far apart as Senegal and Sudan.
Red-flanked duikers grow to almost 15 in (35 cm) in height and weigh up to ...
(''Cephalophus rufilatus'')
*
Common duiker
The common duiker (''Sylvicapra grimmia''), also known as the grey or bush duiker, is a small antelope and the only member of the genus ''Sylvicapra''. This species is found everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the Horn of Africa ...
(''Sylvicapra grimmia coronata'') - The presence of this species was confirmed by an aerial survey in 2003.
* African buffalo (''Synceros caffer brachyceros'')
*
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
(''Hippopotamus amphibius'')
*
Warthog
''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly cons ...
(''Phacochoerus africanus africanus'') - The presence of this species was confirmed by an aerial survey in 2003.
*
West African lion
''Panthera leo leo'' is a lion subspecies, which is present in West Africa, northern Central Africa and India. In West and Central Africa it is restricted to fragmented and isolated populations with a declining trajectory. It has been referred to ...
(''Panthera leo senegalensis'') - Individuals of the lion has been reported sporadically, for the last time in 2005. There is no permanent lion population in Togo.
*
Crested porcupine
The crested porcupine (''Hystrix cristata''), also known as the African crested porcupine, is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae native to Italy, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
Characteristics
The adult crested porcupine h ...
Four-toed hedgehog
The four-toed hedgehog (''Atelerix albiventris''), is a species of hedgehog found throughout much of central and eastern Africa.
Populations tend to be scattered between suitable savannah or cropland habitats, avoiding forested areas. The specie ...
(''Atelerix albiventris'')
Birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
About 214 species of birds have been recorded, including:
*
Black crowned crane
The black crowned crane (''Balearica pavonina'') is a part of the family Gruidae, along with its sister species, the grey crowned crane. It is topped with its characteristic bristle-feathered golden crown. It is usually found in the shallow we ...
(''Balearica pavonina'')
*
Goliath heron
The Goliath heron (''Ardea goliath''), also known as the giant heron, is a very large wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa, with smaller, declining numbers in Southwest and South Asia.
Description
This i ...
(''Ardea goliath'')
*
Grey heron
The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern ...
(''Ardea cinerea'')
*
Pink-backed pelican
The pink-backed pelican (''Pelecanus rufescens'') is a bird of the pelican family. It is a resident breeder in the swamps and shallow lakes of Africa and southern Arabia; it has also apparently extirpated in Madagascar.
Taxonomy
The pink-backe ...
Bearded barbet
The bearded barbet (''Lybius dubius'') is an African barbet. Barbets are near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution, although New World and Old World barbets are placed in different families. The barbets get their name from the br ...
(''Lybius dubius'')
*
Pied-winged swallow
The pied-winged swallow (''Hirundo leucosoma'') is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It has distinctive steel-blue upperparts with white wing patches. It is native to parts of West Africa.
Taxonomy
The pied-winged swallow was species ...
Oriole warbler
The oriole warbler (''Hypergerus atriceps'') is a large warbler in the family Cisticolidae, and the only member of the genus ''Hypergerus''. This bird is a resident breeder in west Africa from southern Senegal to Cameroon.
This skulking passeri ...
(''Hypergerus atriceps'')
*
Blackcap babbler
The blackcap babbler (''Turdoides reinwardtii'') is a member of the family Leiothrichidae. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in southeast Asia.
The blackcap babbler is a common resident breeding bird in west Africa fro ...
(''Turdoides reinwardtii'')
*
Purple 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 to ...
White-crowned robin-chat
The white-crowned robin-chat (''Cossypha albicapilla'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.
It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ni ...
Red-winged pytilia
The red-winged pytilia (''Pytilia phoenicoptera'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 370,000 km2.
It is found at Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republi ...
Black-faced firefinch
The black-faced firefinch (''Lagonosticta larvata'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 2,100,000 km2.
It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Rep ...
Exclamatory paradise whydah
The exclamatory paradise whydah or Uelle paradise whydah (''Vidua interjecta'') is a species of bird in the family Viduidae. It is also known as the long-tailed paradise whydah, a name which may also refer to the related species '' Vidua paradisa ...
Reptiles
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...
*
West African crocodile
The West African crocodile, desert crocodile, or sacred crocodile (''Crocodylus suchus'') is a species of crocodile related to – and often confused with – the larger and more aggressive Nile crocodile (''C. niloticus'').
Taxonomy
Compared ...
(''Crocodylus suchus'') - Formerly listed as nile crocodile (''C. niloticus'')