Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site consists of an extensive area of savanna and seasonally flooded grassland on either side of the Oti river, stretching from the north-east corner of the country, against the international frontiers with Benin and Burkina Faso, south to adjoin Kéran National Park (IBA TG002), immediately east of the town of Sansanné-Mango. The main habitats include riverine woodland with
Diospyros mespiliformis and
Anogeissus leiocarpus, riverine scrub with
Mimosa pigra and
Mitragyna inermis and grasslands of
Andropogon spp.,
Hyparrhenia spp. and
Heteropogon spp. with scattered
Borassus aethiopum palms. Some isolated patches of Sudan savanna also occur, with
Acacia spp.,
Combretum spp.,
Tamarindus indica and
Balanites aegyptiaca. The site is immediately adjacent to both Pendjari National Park (IBA BJ002) in Benin and the Arli–W–Singou complex (IBA BF008) in Burkina Faso.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. In addition,
Circus macrourus and
Gallinago media have been recorded, including a count of 20 of the latter on one occasion, thought to have been birds on passage. One species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome has also been recorded; see Table 2. The Oti valley is also nationally important for concentrations of wetland species e.g., up to 250
Balearica pavonina, 250
Ardea cinerea, 200
Ciconia ciconia, 300
Plectropterus gambensis and 100
Glareola pratincola.
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis breeds and
Gorsachius leuconotus has been collected.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals of global conservation concern include Gazella rufifrons (VU).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Encroachment of land settlements, gathering of firewood, poaching and possible alterations to the Oti river’s flow patterns caused by the construction of the Kompienga dam in Burkina Faso on the Oualé river, one of the tributaries of the Oti, are the main threats.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Oti Valley Faunal Reserve (Togo). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/oti-valley-faunal-reserve-iba-togo on 23/12/2024.
