Oti Valley Faunal Reserve (6914)
Togo, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Oti Valley Faunal Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 10.5833, Longitude: 0.6667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 109 to 167
Area of KBA (km2): 1396.93464
Protected area coverage (%): 68.88
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site consists of an extensive area of savanna and seasonally flooded grassland on either side of the Oti river, stretching from the north-east corner of the country, against the international frontiers with Benin and Burkina Faso, south to adjoin Kéran National Park (IBA TG002), immediately east of the town of Sansanné-Mango. The main habitats include riverine woodland with Diospyros mespiliformis and Anogeissus leiocarpus, riverine scrub with Mimosa pigra and Mitragyna inermis and grasslands of Andropogon spp., Hyparrhenia spp. and Heteropogon spp. with scattered Borassus aethiopum palms. Some isolated patches of Sudan savanna also occur, with Acacia spp., Combretum spp., Tamarindus indica and Balanites aegyptiaca. The site is immediately adjacent to both Pendjari National Park (IBA BJ002) in Benin and the Arli–W–Singou complex (IBA BF008) in Burkina Faso.
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. In addition, Circus macrourus and Gallinago media have been recorded, including a count of 20 of the latter on one occasion, thought to have been birds on passage. One species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome has also been recorded; see Table 2. The Oti valley is also nationally important for concentrations of wetland species e.g., up to 250 Balearica pavonina, 250 Ardea cinerea, 200 Ciconia ciconia, 300 Plectropterus gambensis and 100 Glareola pratincola. Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis breeds and Gorsachius leuconotus has been collected. Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals of global conservation concern include Gazella rufifrons (VU).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 35 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 3 | |
| Shrubland | 61 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Encroachment of land settlements, gathering of firewood, poaching and possible alterations to the Oti river’s flow patterns caused by the construction of the Kompienga dam in Burkina Faso on the Oualé river, one of the tributaries of the Oti, are the main threats.