Arly

Arly National Park was established in 1954 in south-eastern Burkina Faso, beside the borders with Benin and Niger, and protects some 1,300 km². In 2017 it was added to the World Heritage List as part of the extension of the W National Park property, which became the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex.

The extended whole, shared by Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger, protects the largest continuous expanse of intact Sudano-Sahelian savannah ecosystems in West Africa. Arly forms, together with the Singou reserve and the adjoining hunting zones, a protected block much larger than the park itself, crossed by the Pendjari River, which marks the border with Benin.

The complex holds the largest elephant population in West Africa and virtually all the lions left in the region, as well as cheetah, buffalo, hippopotamus and large antelope. Since the late 2010s security has deteriorated badly: the armed groups active in the Liptako-Gourma region have attacked ranger posts and tourism operators, activity has been suspended and effective patrolling on the ground is very limited, which puts the future of the property at risk.