Lake Oursi - Lake Darkoye (6024)
Burkina Faso, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Lake Oursi - Lake Darkoye
Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.7000, Longitude: -0.0833
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 250 to 300
Area of KBA (km2): 757.49181
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This site consists of seven seasonal lakes, the largest of which are Oursi and Darkoye, in the Réserve Partielle du Sahel, north of the town of Gorom-Gorom. The westernmost, Tin Edia, is located at the foot of hills, Oursi, the largest, is at the base of old sand-dunes, while the others, Darkoye, Kouyéra, Yomboli, Kissi and Bangao, occur in open steppe, to the west of the town of Markoye. Also included is the habitat between the lakes which includes sand-dunes (such as at Oursi), semi-desert grasslands, open eroded shields, drainage lines, inselbergs rising out of the plains and a series of hills. Depending entirely upon the annual run-off from the rains of July to September, lake levels vary considerably from year to year. Some lakes are ringed by important stands of trees such as Acacia albida and Ficus sp. On the seasonal flood-plains there is a rich plant community, including Aeschynomene lotus and the sedges and grasses Cyperus alopecuroides, Echinochloa stagnina, E. pyramidalis and Oryza longistaminata, providing important dry season grazing.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 2 for key species. Large numbers of Palearctic migrants use the lakes annually. At Oursi and Yomboli, 106 species of waterbird have so far been recorded (47 Palearctic and 59 Afrotropical). In 1998 counts for Lake Oursi alone totalled 20,000. The continued presence of Struthio camelus is reported by poachers. Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals of global conservation concern include Gazella rufifrons (VU) and Acinonyx jubatus (VU) (continued occurrence requires verification).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research | rangeland/pastureland
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 1 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Grassland | 94 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The area lies within the Réserve Partielle du Sahel and Lake Oursi is a Ramsar Site, at which hunting has been banned (a ban largely respected by legal sport hunters) since the 1970s. Currently this IBA, along with the Béli river (IBA BF001), is the most threatened in the country due to the increasing human pressures around most of the lakes in the complex. Activities include vegetable gardening, the harvesting of Nymphaea, hunting, uncontrolled fishing, cutting of firewood and livestock-grazing. Additionally, the lack of viable management planning or action in the field, the shortage of Direction Général des Eaux et Forêts staff (two only for the whole region) and difficulties in establishing the boundaries of the conservation area, hinder effective conservation. The government is, however, establishing a management system for the Lake Oursi area while the forthcoming PRONAGEN will include the site.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: MEE (1997), Weessie (1996).