Wildlife of Chad

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Vegetation outside Goz Beïda

The wildlife of Chad is composed of its

snakes are found there, although most large carnivore populations have been drastically reduced since the early 20th century.[1][3] Elephant poaching, particularly in the south of the country in areas such as Zakouma National Park
, is a severe problem.

Vegetation

Aerial photo of Lake Chad
Map of Chad

As of 2011, there were 2,288 species of plants in the country, 55 of which are

endemic.[2] Precipitation varies widely from south to the north. The country is also subject to hot, dry, dusty conditions. Harmattan winds are a feature in the northern part of the country. Droughts and locust plagues are also common. The vegetation in the country is broadly categorized under the three regions of the northern Sahara zone, the central Sahel zone, and the southern Sudan zone; all three zones are of equal proportion.[1]

The northern part of the country which has the Sahara desert and which borders Libya and the volcanic massif of

scrubland is noted.[1]

The montane vegetation on the massif is rich, unlike the vegetation that is in the lowlands. Woody vegetation occurs in some deep gorges of the

edaphic grassland and Acacia.[1]

Lake Chad, lying on the country's western edge and extending across the border into Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, is one of the richest areas of flora in the country, although it has rapidly reduced in size during the last century.[

ambatch, and water lilies.[3]

Fauna

Main article: List of mammals of Chad
Camels in the Sahel region of Chad
Nile perch
Violet turaco

As of 2002, there were at least 134 species of mammals and 532 species of birds (354 species of residents and 155 migrants) in Chad.[1] Before the 20th century, Chad reportedly had a rich fauna of large carnivores in the Lake Chad region, but due to deforestation, hunting and competition from livestock most of the population of lions, leopards, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus have disappeared from the region.[3]

The

Scimitar horned oryx are seen in the reserves of Chad in significant numbers, mostly in the Ouadi Rime Ouadi Achin Faunal Reserve. Also reported to survive in this reserve are the large population of addax (Addax nasomaculatus) and dama gazelle (Nanger dama).[5]

Other species reported are;

African rock pythons and spitting cobras are the reptile species also reported.[7]

Aquafauna

Lake Chad has 179 species of fish which feed on vegetation,

characin (Alestes baremoze) and Nile perch (Lates niloticus).[6] Lungfish and sailfin are the two other unique species in the lake.[7] Crocodile and hippopotamus also inhabit the lake as do birds, and it is an important destination for many migratory species of birds.[6]

Avifauna

Main article: List of birds of Chad

near-threatened, and vulnerable categories are:[8]

The

least concern, which is found in large numbers in a range of less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi) covering many African countries including Chad.[9]

Protection

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Protected areas of Chad.

The protected parks, reserves, protection forests, reforestation areas, and

IUCN Level II categorized Aouk (7,400 km2 or 2,900 sq mi), Goz Beïda, Manda (1,140 km2 or 440 sq mi), and Zakouma
(3,000 km2 or 1,200 sq mi) national parks. The country has a number of faunal reserves which are loosely protected including:

Aside from the numerous protected forests,

Ramsar Sites at Lake Fitri (Lac Fitri; 1,950 km2 or 750 sq mi), Binder-Léré Faunal Reserve (Réserve de faune de Binder-Léré; 1,350 km2 or 520 sq mi) and the Chadian section of Lake Chad (partie tchadienne du lac Tchad; 16,481.68 km2 or 6,363.61 sq mi).[10][11][12]

In addition to parks and reserves, eight

Important Bird Areas (IBAs) have been identified and supported by BirdLife International. These cover 11.2 percent of the country, an area of 146,500 square kilometres (56,600 sq mi), some overlapping with parks and reserves. Of these, the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim IBA is the largest, covering an area of more than 6 percent of the area of the country.[1]

Conservation

Extensive deforestation has resulted in loss of trees such as acacias, baobab, dates and palm trees. This has also caused loss of natural habitat for wild animals; one of the main reasons for this is also hunting and livestock farming by increasing human settlements. Animals like lions, leopards and rhino have been almost eliminated.[7]

Efforts have been made by the Food and Agriculture Organization to improve relations between farmers, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists in the Zakouma National Park (ZNP), Siniaka-Minia, and Aouk reserve in southeastern Chad to promote sustainable development.[13] As part of the national conservation effort, more than 1.2 million trees have been replanted to check the advancement of the desert, which incidentally also helps the local economy by way of financial return from acacia trees, which produce gum arabic, and also from fruit trees.[7]

Poaching

Main article: Elephant hunting in Chad

Poaching is a serious problem in the country, particularly of elephants for the profitable ivory industry and a threat to lives of rangers even in the national parks such as Zakouma. Elephants are often massacred in herds in and around the parks by organized poaching.[14] The problem is worsened by the fact that the parks are understaffed and that a number of wardens have been murdered by poachers.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Important Bird Areas in Africa and associated islands – Chad" (PDF). BirdLife International. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  2. ^
    PMID 23805051
    .
  3. ^ a b c d "Plant and Animal Life: Lake Chad". The Living Africa. ThinkQuest. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  4. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2013.02.004
    .
  5. ^ World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1991, p. 67.
  6. ^ a b c "Lake Chad flooded savanna". World Wildflife Organization. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d "Our Africa". Our Africa organization. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World Chad". Avi Base- The world data base organization. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  9. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688387A93195573.en
    . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Parks, Reserves, and Other Protected Areas in Chad". Parks.it. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  11. ^ "The National Parks and Nature Reserves of Chad". National Parks-Worldwide.info. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  12. ^ "Search for protected areas". Official Record. Protectedplanet.net. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  13. ^ "Livestock-wildlife-environment interactions in Chad". Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  14. ^ "African Elephants Slaughtered in Herds Near Chad Wildlife Park". National Geographic. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  15. ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey (31 December 2012). "Rangers in Isolated Central Africa Uncover Grim Cost of Protecting Wildlife". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 October 2013.

Bibliography

External links

  • USAID detailed study on "Considerations of Wildlife Resources and Land Use in Chad"
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