Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Situated in a fossil valley dating from the last ice-age or earlier, Dan Doutchi was, prior to July 1974, a small, temporary wetland surrounded by millet and sorghum fields. When, however, the 1973–1974 drought broke with torrential rains, this wide, shallow part of the valley filled to form a permanent wetland. The wetland, located some 80 km north-west of Birni N’Konni, extends from the village of Tawèy to that of Dan Doutchi, 6 km to the west and, at its maximum, occupies approximately 1,780 ha with an average depth of 1.8 m. Average annual rainfall in the Dan Doutchi area for the period 1961–1990 was 420 mm, but yearly variation is considerable. During the waterbird censuses in January–February, the area of the run-off dependent wetland accordingly varied from 450 to 1,500 ha. The water of the wetland is somewhat brackish and alkaline, with average levels of nitrogen and low levels of phosphorus in the fairly sandy sediment. Aquatic vegetation is absent. Woody species along the edges of the wetland include
Acacia nilotica and the exotic
Eucalyptus camaldulensis.
See Box for key species. A total of 55 species of waterbird were recorded at Dan Doutchi during counts in January 1992–1998. Numbers of birds are largest, according to local farmers, in April–May. In addition to those listed below, other significant counts include 376
Tringa erythropus in January 1992 and 1,500
Ciconia ciconia and 509
Alopochen aegyptiacus in January 1993. Also notable were the 10, 1,411 and 450
Chelictinia riocourii observed at a roost in 1993–1995, respectively. One or two
Circus macrourus were present each year and a single
Falco naumanni was seen in January 1995. The largest number of waterbirds counted was 4,497, in January 1993.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Dan Doutchi has been suggested as a potential Ramsar Site. The wetland is owned by government, but may be used by the local population under supervision. Fishing is an important activity that takes place all year-round using nets and traps, from gourd floats and boats. Fish species include
Bagrus bayad,
Oreochromis niloticus,
Tilapia zillii,
T. monodii,
Lates niloticus,
Clarias anguillaris,
Schilbe spp.,
Alestes spp.,
Achenoglanis spp.,
Synodontis schall and
Chrysichthys auratus. In addition to being smoked and dried locally, refrigerated lorries take part of the catch to Niamey, a distance of some 600 km. Each year, an estimated 80% of the land exposed as water-levels recede is cultivated (
Dolichos lablab, maize, cassava). During the later part of the dry season the wetland is also an important watering point for large numbers of livestock. There is no management plan, other than yearly programmes to improve fish production. The Service d’Arrondisement d’Environnement is considering introducing
Echinochloa stagnina in order to improve breeding conditions for the fish. Erosion and sedimentation, caused by human activity in the catchment, threaten the wetland. There are also signs of salinization in fields where crops are grown on residual moisture.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dan Doutchi wetland (Niger). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dan-doutchi-wetland-iba-niger on 23/12/2024.
