Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Situated immediately south of Oti Faunal Reserve (IBA TG001) in the north of the country, Kéran National Park is composed principally of the flood-plain of the Koumongou river, a tributary of the Oti. The Koumongou is reduced to stagnant pools in the dry season but floods quickly during the rains. The main vegetation-types include wooded savanna dominated by
Daniella oliveri and
Butyrospermum paradoxum, good gallery forest beside the Koumongou and open, sparsely-vegetated, plains with some rocky ground. The site includes the Mare-aux-Lions, a small wetland area close to the Koumongou river which is attractive to birds and mammals. The main road north through Togo to Burkina Faso cuts across the northern part of the park.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. In addition,
Circus macrourus has been recorded. The park is notable for large, conspicuous species such as
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis and
Neotis denhami, both of
which breed, and up to 60
Anastomus lamelligerus. The gallery forest provides the most northern patch of habitat in the country suitable for such species as
Apaloderma narina and
Hypergerus atriceps.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals of global conservation concern include Loxodonta africana (EN).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Although well protected until 1991, with guards enforcing regulations, including speed restrictions for vehicles travelling on the main road through the park, serious problems arose after the political upheavals that then took place. Indiscriminate hunting, uncontrolled land settlements and taking of firewood became widespread. It is not known how the birds have been affected but the larger species such as bustards will almost certainly have suffered, along with the larger mammals.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kéran National Park (Togo). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kéran-national-park-iba-togo on 22/11/2024.
