Djoudj National Park

Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary
UNESCO world heritage
	Cormorants in Djoudj National Park
National territory:	Senegal
Type:	nature
Criteria :	(vii) (x)
Surface:	16,000 ha
Reference No .:	25th
UNESCO region :	Africa
	History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1981 ( session 5 )
Red list :	1984-1988 ; 2000-2006

The Djoudj National Park in northern Senegal is the third largest bird reserve in the world. He's since 1977 Ramsar site and since 1981 World Heritage of UNESCO . It has been a World Heritage Site since 2011 .

Geographical location

The bird park is located around 60 km northeast of Saint-Louis in the Senegal estuary . Its extension is 160 km².

history

The national park was added to the list of endangered natural heritage sites in 2000 due to the endangerment of Salvinia molesta , a rapidly spreading annoying subspecies of swimming ferns . In 2006, Djoudj was removed from the Red List of World Heritage in Danger.

fauna

The approximately 400 species are joined by the migratory birds of Europe in winter , which come across the first freshwater deposits here after crossing the Sahara. The 10,000 pelicans are certainly ready for postcards , but many other species, some of which are rare, can also be found here: flamingos , storks , cormorants , crowned cranes , ospreys , etc.

There are also a number of other animal species in the park, for example water turtles , crocodiles , warthogs , boas, jackals , gazelles . However, these are not to be found as often as in the South African large game parks .

Sedge Warbler

In the area of the national park is also the wintering area of the endangered Sedge Warbler , which breeds in Central Europe , among other places . The reed warbler migrates long distances along the North Sea and Atlantic coasts to West Africa. Exact knowledge about the course of the migration and the wintering areas have been lacking, and it was not until 2007 that an important winter quarter was discovered in West Africa south of the Sahara. To locate the wintering areas of the reed warbler, scientists from the Aquatic Warbler Conservation Team took feathers from reed warblers ringed in Europe and isolated them for their isotopic composition. Such isotope profiles can be used to roughly determine where a bird has been. In this way, a zone immediately south of the Sahara could be delimited as possible wintering quarters for the Sedge Warbler. Taking into account earlier records of sedge warbler, the area in question was narrowed down to a region in the immediate vicinity of Senegal . Finally, the birds could be located in an area of one hundred square kilometers, which is around the Djoudj National Park in northern Senegal.

Visitor traffic

The larger hotels in Saint-Louis offer excursions to the park. The shortest route from the city to the visitor center at the village of Diadiam 3 on the southern border of the park, where the tourist resort Hôtel du Djoudj is also located, leads mainly on dusty slopes over the elongated island of Biffeche and measures 53.5 kilometers. Another, longer one leads on the N 2 to Ross Béthio , where a piste du Djoudj branches off. You can also explore the park with your own vehicle. The best time to visit is in January and February when the migratory birds have arrived. The park is open from November to April.