Waza plain

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Coordinates: 11 ° 36 '  N , 14 ° 44'  E

Map: Cameroon
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Waza plain​
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Cameroon

The Waza-level is a level in the province of Extrême-Nord in Cameroon . It extends over an area of ​​8,000 km² between the Logone rivers in the east and El Beid in the west. In the rainy season, an extensive wetland area forms on the Waza plain , which is called Grand Yaeres or simply Yaeres and is of great importance for the livelihood of the local population.

Waza-Logone floodplain

Since the area is very flat, large parts are under water for several months each year, this is due to the rainy season in the highlands of Adamaua in the summer months. The then swelling Logone and the seasonally flowing rivers Mayo Tsanaga, Mayo Boula and Mayo Vrick flood an area of ​​approx. 3,000 km². The flood season begins in August and peaks in September and October when the high water hits the Logone. On average, the plain is then about 0.7 to one meter under water and up to 850,000 tons of sediments are deposited. From December onwards, the floodplains will dry up and the flood will push back into the Logone and El Beid on the western side of the flood zone via the Logomatya River. This floodplain was placed under the protection of the Ramsar Convention on March 20, 2006 under the title The Waza Logone Floodplain , on an area of ​​600,000 hectares . This protection zone includes the two Cameroonian national parks and borders on the Chadian Ramsar area Plaines d'inondation du Logone et les dépressions Toupouri in the southeast.

climate

The climate of the region is determined by the alternation of dry and rainy seasons . The rainy season begins with the arrival of the West African monsoons in mid- May and lasts until October . The average annual rainfall varies from 750 mm in the south to 600 mm in the north of the region. The mean daily temperature in the region varies from 17.3 ° C in December to 28.1 ° C in April . The dry season lasts from November to April and is caused by the advance of the north-east trade wind Harmattan .

population

About 220,000 people live on the rivers in the Waza plain. There are five ethnic groups living in the region who speak the Musgum , Bornouan , Peulhs , Kotoko and nomads the dialects of Chadian Arabic . According to UNEP estimates , around 60% of the population live from agriculture and fishing. Both are only made possible by the annual floods.

Flora Fauna

The flora and fauna of the Waza Plain is determined by different types of vegetation in the Sahel , in the north, and in the Sudan , in the south. Other African mammals in the region include larger groups of the Kob ( Kobus kob ), roan antelopes ( Hippotragus equinus ), red-fronted gazelles ( Eudorcas rufifrons ), giraffes ( Giraffa camelopardalis ), African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ), lions ( Panthera leo ), hyenas ( Hyaenidae sp. ) And jackals ( Canis sp. ). The Yaeres floodplains form an important habitat for African waterbirds and migratory birds in the northern hemisphere . Counts of the populations of waterbirds showed an increase from 59,000 (1993) to 87,000 animals in 1997. A total of 379 bird species were counted in the region, including the desert woodpecker ( Dendropicos elachus ), Arab bustard ( Ardeotis arabs ), widow's whistle goose ( Dendrocygna viduata ) and the sedge ( Phalacrocorax africanus ).

The floodplains are an important breeding area for fish . Every year around 2,000 tons (dried) of fish are caught for regional needs. The most important food fish include predatory catfish ( Clarias sp. ), Tilapia ( Tilapia sp. ), Brycinus ( Alestes nurse ) and Nile pike ( Petrocephalus sp. ).

National parks

Since this area is of great ecological importance, two national parks were established as early as the 1930s. These are the 45 km² Kalamalou National Park in the north and the 1,700 km² Waza National Park in the southwest of the plain.

The Waza Logone Project

With the construction of the Maga dam and the embankment of the Logone as part of the SEMRY program for irrigation of rice-growing areas in 1979, the area of ​​the floodplains was drastically reduced. Numerous lakes and ponds that formerly covered the entire Waza plain dried up, and the soil eroded and became partially sterile. This caused large numbers of animals to leave the area and people to migrate. Against this background, the IUCN launched the Waza-Logone project, with the support of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and in cooperation with the Cameroonian authorities. The aim of the project is to restore and renature the floodplains of the Waza plain.

source

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ TRANSBOUNDARY DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS OF THE Lake Chad Basin ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Author: DR HASSAN HARUNA BDLIYA, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND HOUSING FEDERAL SECRETARIAT MAITAMA, ABUJA PDF document (English)
  2. ^ Ramsar information about Cameroon ( Memento from July 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English) PDF document
  3. ↑ The Annotated Ramsar List: Cameroon (English)
  4. ↑ Human Elephant Conflict in the Waza-Logone Region of Northern Cameroon: An Assessment of Management Effectiveness Authors: MN Tchamba, D. Foguekem published March 6, 2012 PDF document (English)
  5. ↑ World Wildlife Fund: East Sudanian savanna (English)
  6. ^ World Wildlife Fund: Sahel Acacia savanna
  7. ↑ Logone Flood plains on Birdlife International (English)
  8. ↑ THE WAZA-LOGONE FLOODPLAIN Authors: Roger Kouokam and Daniel Ngantou, IUCN Waza-Logone Project PDF document (English)