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Burkina Faso

Africa

174

Documented species

1

Parks and reserves

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country of gentle relief, crossed by the transition between the Sahel of the north, dry and thorn-scrubbed, and the Sudanian savannah of the south, more wooded and with gallery forest along the Mouhoun, Nakambé and Nazinon rivers. That southern belt concentrates the wildlife: the Arly and Pendjari complex, a continuation of the W park, forms with its neighbours one of the last great blocks of protected savannah in West Africa, with elephants, buffalo, roan antelope, kob and one of the last lion populations in the region. The Nazinga ranch is known for its high density of elephants around the artificial dams during the dry season. In the west, the Banfora cliffs, the Karfiguéla falls and the Dindéresso woods provide humid environments with primates and forest birds.

Nature in Burkina Faso

National animal: The white horse, represented twice over on the national coat of arms

Did you know?

La Mare aux Hippopotames, near Bobo-Dioulasso, is a shallow lake ringed by flooded forest where a population of hippopotamuses has lived alongside the fishermen of the neighbouring villages for generations. Their survival owes a great deal to a traditional prohibition on killing them, which has worked as a form of local protection since long before the place was declared a biosphere reserve.

Biodiversity profile

Conservation

The W-Arly-Pendjari complex is a World Heritage Site and the greatest stronghold of savannah wildlife in West Africa, but insecurity in the Sahel region has interrupted management and tourism across many of these areas.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Nazinga between February and May, when the elephants gather at the dams. Arly in the dry season for ungulates and lions. La Mare aux Hippopotames at dawn for hippopotamuses and waterbirds.

Parks and reserves

National Park

Arly

The Burkinabé component of the W-Arly-Pendjari complex, the largest intact savannah in West Africa.

See park

Similar countries

Where else might I want to travel?

Côte d’Ivoire

Same region: West Africa

Ghana

Same region: West Africa

Niger

Same region: West Africa

Benin

Same region: West Africa

Species documented in Burkina Faso

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Conservation

174 species found

Related guides

  • Threatened species of Burkina Faso27 species
  • Threatened mammals of Burkina Faso16 species
  • Threatened birds of Burkina Faso9 species

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about Burkina Faso.

ParkArly

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WaterbuckLeast Concern

Waterbuck

Kobus ellipsiprymnus

Egyptian CobraLeast Concern

Egyptian Cobra

Naja haje

Nile CrocodileLeast Concern

Nile Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus

Isabelline WheatearLeast Concern

Isabelline Wheatear

Oenanthe isabellina

Cream-coloured CourserLeast Concern

Cream-coloured Courser

Cursorius cursor

Common ElandLeast Concern

Common Eland

Taurotragus oryx

Black-winged KiteLeast Concern

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

Desert HedgehogLeast Concern

Desert Hedgehog

Paraechinus aethiopicus

Long-eared HedgehogLeast Concern

Long-eared Hedgehog

Hemiechinus auritus

African SpoonbillLeast Concern

African Spoonbill

Platalea alba

Common WarthogLeast Concern

Common Warthog

Phacochoerus africanus

Fennec FoxLeast Concern

Fennec Fox

Vulpes zerda

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Savannah