Niokolo-Koba National Park

The National Park Niokolo -Koba (in French Parc national du Niokolo -Koba ) is located in southeastern Senegal at the border with Guinea on 15 to 300 m above sea level. The park is 9130 square kilometers in size and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Due to a planned dam and the ruling poaching he was included in the Red List of World Heritage in Danger in 2007.

Landscape remains dominated the Gambia River and the Niocolo Koba river.

The vegetation consists mainly of Guinea and Sudan savannah, to the east the vegetation becomes increasingly dry. On the river banks are extensive gallery forests. The highest point is Mont Assirik. During the single rainy season from June to October fall from 1000 to 1100 mm of rain. In addition to seasonally flooded savannas and swamps, there are also drier forests and bamboo in the gallery forest. More than 1,500 plant species have been recorded in the park.

Niokolo Koba was known for its abundant wildlife and still offers some West African species, the last, albeit unsafe home. The number of large mammals decreased from 1990 to 2007 from about 45,000 to less in 1000, representing a loss of 98%. In the park 84 species of mammals, 330 species of birds, about 60 species of reptiles and amphibians, as well as 60 species of fish.

The most important is the last wild stock of the Western Giant Eland ( taurotragus derbianus ), current stock less than 200 threatened with extinction are the lion and the African wild dog, unsure of the situation for the Panthers. In the gallery forests on 150 West African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus ) living. Other species of monkeys are the Red Colobusaffe, the Guinea- tailed monkey, the vervet monkey and baboon. Dramatic population decline suffered all ungulates, the roan antelope of more than 6000 in 1990 to currently about 700, the Hartebeest from 5000 to 150, the Kob from 24,000 to currently about 100, waterbuck from about 3000 to 10! and the African buffalo from 8,000 to less than 500 Extinguished are the westernmost constituent of the giraffe (Giraffa cameleopardis peralta ) and the elephant. 2006 there were 10 elephants in ausgewilderte Niokolo Koba after the original stock was a victim of poaching. Unknown is the situation for Sitatunga, Hippo, Warts and bush pigs, small antelopes and all three African crocodile species.

It is uncertain to what extent national and international protective measures will succeed. The problems of unchecked poaching with heavy weapons, the hunting of bushmeat as well as bird catching are not resolved under the circumstances.