Mare aux Hippopotames (6027)
Burkina Faso, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Mare aux Hippopotames
Central coordinates: Latitude: 11.5500, Longitude: -4.1500
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 296 to 296
Area of KBA (km2): 152.45724
Protected area coverage (%): 93.90
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site is located about 50 km north of the city of Bobo-Dioulasso in the upper Mouhoun valley. The Mare aux Hippopotames is, in the rainy season, a 600 ha lake within a classified forest. At the end of the dry season the lake is reduced to about 120 ha and is covered with dense aquatic vegetation, while the exposed flood-plain supplies fodder for the lake’s hippopotamus herd. A further 864 ha of flood-plain occur along other lines of drainage. The remainder of the reserve comprises some 1,756 ha of gallery forest and 11,000 ha of savanna woodland.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 2 for key species. Although, to date, 243 species have been recorded at the site, including many waterbird species, more surveys are required, particularly of the gallery forest and woodlands. Several species little recorded elsewhere in Burkina occur, including Microparra capensis, Treron australis and Apaloderma narina. Non-bird biodiversity: In addition to Hippopotamus amphibius, Loxodonta africana (EN) occur seasonally at the site and in the nearby Maro Classified Forest. Cephalophus rufilatus (LR/cd), uncommon in Burkina, is present.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 2 | |
| Shrubland | 56 | |
| Forest | 6 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 36 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and a Ramsar Site in 1990. Human pressure is intensifying about the site and, up until the early 1990s, illegal cutting of wood, grazing and poaching had a serious impact. Currently, the site is part of the Programme for Village Territory Management (PNGT) and, as such, is the subject of studies and dialogue with the surrounding communities seeking to establish rational resource management.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Nomadic grazing | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Only in the past and unlikely to return |
Additional information
References: Bayala (1998), MET (1989).