Banc d'Arguin National Park: Difference between revisions
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== Conservation == |
== Conservation == |
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[[Overfishing]] by international fleets in the waters just off Banc d'Arguin, outside the park, is depleting fish resources and may cause a decline of the breeding colonies of fish-eating bird species (Mepham and Mepham, in press). |
[[Overfishing]] by international fleets in the waters just off Banc d'Arguin, outside the park, is depleting fish resources and may cause a decline of the breeding colonies of fish-eating bird species (Mepham and Mepham, in press). |
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In 2006 Mauritania sold to the EU fishing rights in exchange for external debt reduction. |
In 2006 Mauritania sold to the EU fishing rights in exchange for external debt reduction, prompting arguements of overfishing, sustainabiltity and the rights of local people. |
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,prompting arguements of overfishing, sustainabiltity and the rights of local people. |
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== People == |
== People == |
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Revision as of 06:03, 16 December 2006
| Banc d'Arguin National Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) | |
| Location | Mauritania |
| Area | 12,000 km² |
| Established | 1978 |
The Banc d'Arguin National Park (French: Parc National du Banc d'Arguin) lies on the coast of Mauritania between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. The World Heritage Site is a major breeding site for migratory birds. A wide range of species include flamingos, broad-billed sandpipers, pelicans and terns. Much of the breeding is on sand banks including the islands of Tidra, Niroumi, Nair , Kijji and Arguim . The surrounding waters are some of the richest fishing waters in western Africa and serve as nesting grounds for the entire western region.
The Banc d'Arguin National Park is a Nature reserve that was established to protect both the natural resources and the valuable fisheries, which make a significant contribution to the national economy (Hoffmann, 1988), as well as scientifically and aesthetically valuable geological sites, in the interests of and for the recreation of the general public. The park's vast expanses of mudflats provide home for over two million migrant shorebirds from northern Europe, Siberia and Greenland. The region's mild climate and absence of human disturbance make the park one of the most important sites in the world for these species. The nesting bird population is also noted for its great numbers and diversity: between 25,000 and 40,000 pairs belonging to 15 species, making the largest colonies of of water birds in West Africa (IUCN Technical Evaluation, 1989).
Conservation
Overfishing by international fleets in the waters just off Banc d'Arguin, outside the park, is depleting fish resources and may cause a decline of the breeding colonies of fish-eating bird species (Mepham and Mepham, in press). In 2006 Mauritania sold to the EU fishing rights in exchange for external debt reduction, prompting arguements of overfishing, sustainabiltity and the rights of local people.
People
The local population is comprised of about 500 or so Imraguen tribesmen that live in seven villages within the park. They base their economy on subsistence fishing using traditional methods.
Fauna
The park is host to one of the world's most diversified communities of nesting piscivorous birds in the world (Hoffmann, 1988). At least 108 bird species have been recorded, representing both Palaearctic and Afrotropical realms. Wintering shorebirds number over three million and include hundreds of thousands of black tern Chlidonias nigra and flamingo Phoenocopterus ruber, ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula, grey plover Pluvialis squatarola, knot Calidris canutus, redshank Tringa totanus and bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica. The area is one of the most important wintering grounds for European spoonbill Platalea leucorodia leucorodia. Breeding birds include white pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus, reed cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus, gull-billed tern Gelochelidon nilotica, Caspian tern Hydroprogne caspian, royal tern Sterna maxima and common tern Sterna hirundo, together with several species or subspecies with an African distribution, such as endemic heron Ardea cinerea monicae and spoonbill Platalea leucorodia balsaci and western reef heron Egretta gularis (IUCN, 1987).
History
Because of its rich fishery, the territory has been highly coveted and disputed by European colonial powers of Portugal, France, England, Prussia/Germany and Holland.
Arguin Island
1445 - 5 Feb 1633 Portuguese rule (Arguim). 5 Feb 1633 - 1678 Dutch rule (brief English occupation in 1665). 1 Sep 1678 - Sep 1678 French occupation. Sep 1678 Abandoned. 5 Oct 1685 - 7 Mar 1721 Brandenburg (from 1701, Prussian) rule. 7 Mar 1721 - 11 Jan 1722 French rule. 11 Jan 1722 - 20 Feb 1724 Dutch rule. 20 Feb 1724 - Mar 1728 French rule.
The Wreck of Mudusa -La Méduse was a French frigate that infamously sunk off the Bank of Arguin.In 1816 it was the subject of a painting by Théodore Géricault's
"The Raft of the Medusa", which is displayed in the Louvre.
External links
- Banc d'Arguin National Park UNESCO Site
- Banc d'Arguin National Park Natural Site Data Sheet
- Mauritania - Arguin
- Banc d' Arguin - Google image search results
- EU trawlers get fishing rights
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