MammalsMammalsMammals

Niger

Location

On the continent of Africa, inland, in the central northeastern region.

National websites

 

Embassy / Chancery in U.S.

 Ambassador Adamou Seydou, 2204 R street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation

 Ministère du commerce, du transport et du tourisme, BP 480, Niamey, Niger

Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation

Bureau Regional du Burkina Faso (BRAO), BP 10933, Niamey, Niger 

Organisation Nigerienne de Volontaires pour la Preservation de l'Environnement – ONVPE

Major Natural Resources

Like many of the other African countries, Niger's main natural resources include wildlife, forests, fish, minerals, and various mines. Much of their income comes from lumbering and fishing.

Major Environmental and Conservation Issues

 Also like many other countries in Africa, Niger is suffering from problems due to population growth. As Niger urbanizes and expands economically, deforestation is one main issue for them, as is desertification. Wildlife such as elephants, hippos, giraffes and lions are especially suffering from this and their numbers are quickly being diminished.

Statistics

Information Sources

Land area

1,226,700 Sq. km.

 www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ng.html

Area of forest

269ha

www.wri.org/wri/sdis/ctr_std/cs-pdf/niger.pdf

 

Area of wetlands

220,000ha

 www.iucn.org/themes/ramsar/lib_dir_1_3.htm#niger

Area of territorial waters

300 Sq. km.

 www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ng.html

Population

10,260,000

 darwin.bio.uci.edu/sustain/h90/countries.html

Population Density

8/ Sq. km.

 

Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels

0

www.iucn.org/themes/ramsar

Fraction of land area protected (%)

7.7% (8,416ha)

Www.wri.org/wri/sdis/ctr_std/cs-pdf/niger.pdf

Major Protected Areas

The W Area, 728,000ha of wildlife reserve, supports and protects 348 species of birds.

 endeavor.des.ucdavis.edu/mab/reservesincountry.asp?country=Niger

Endemic Species

 

 

Birds

 

Reptiles

 

Amphibians

 

Fish

 

Invertebrates

 

Plants

 

Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species

 11

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal 

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Plants

Birds

 2

Reptiles

 1

Amphibians

 0

Fish

 0

Invertebrates

 1

Plants

 

Complete Plant Listing

Extinct Species

 

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal http://www.wcmc.org.uk/species/plants/geographic_table.htm

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Plants

Birds

 

Reptiles

 

Amphibians

 

Fish

 

Invertebrates

 

Plants

 

Complete Plant Listing

Species listed on CITES Appendix I

 12 species

CITES-listed Species Database

Species listed on CITES Appendix II

103 species

CITES-listed Species Database

Legislation

Laws protecting endangered or threatened species

 348 birds are protected under the W Reserve, but not much else is. endeavor.des.ucdavis.edu/mab/reservesincountry.asp?country=Niger

Laws protecting endangered ecosystems

 

Signatory to CITES

12/ 7/75

Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention

8/30/87

Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity 

7/25/95

Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty

Member of International Whaling Commission

No

Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources

 1/19/96 UN Convention to Combat Desertification

Natural Resource Use

Information Sources

Fisheries

 21,054,000 tons of freshwater and 16,931,000 tons of marine catch are brought in annually.

 www.wri.org/wri/sdis/ctr_std/cs-pdf/niger.pdf

Forestry / deforestation

 $1.9 in wood exports annually. Deforestation is becoming a problem, since the forests are being harvested too quickly.

 www.wri.org/wri/sdis/ctr_std/cs-pdf/niger.pdf

Ecotourism

 

 

Trade in wildlife products

 

 

Hunting

 

 

Other uses of natural resources

 

 

Human Impacts on Natural Resources

Information Sources

Air pollution

 

 

Water pollution

 

 

Development activities

 Development is causing deforestation and desertification.

 www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ng.html

Introduced species

 

 

Legislation addressing these issues

 

 

Restoration and Reintroduction

Information Sources

Programs for restoration of damaged habitat 

 Ten years ago, the Guesselbodi project was started, which was meant to reverse the degradation of the forest resources. The plan was successfully put into place by the Niger Forest Service.

 Www.wri.org/biodiv/intl-05.html

Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species

 

 

Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World

Page compiled by Kay Fung as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA