Twelve new Ramsar sites in Burkina Faso _ designations will benefit AEWA species

Gland, 1 October 2009 - The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands announced the designation of 12 new wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites) by the Government of Burkina Faso. These wetlands extend from the Sahel region in the North, through the Cascade regions in the south west, to the Central and Eastern regions of the country.

Three of these sites (Barrage de la Kompienga, Vallée du Sourou and Réserve Totale de Faune d’Arly) are located at least partly, within Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified by BirdLife International. The ‘Réserve Totale de Faune d’Arly’ holds the last significant populations of the Near Threatened Black Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina) in Burkina Faso listed under Column A of AEWA’s table 1 of waterbirds species to which the Agreement applies. These new designations will therefore also contribute towards the conservation of migratory waterbird habitats in the country.

The new Ramsar sites in Burkino Faso cover a wide range of wetland types, which offer a large number of ecosystem types essential for wildlife, the livelihood of riparian populations and hydrological and climatic stability in many parts of the country.

Burkina Faso is one of the AEWA Range States, which will hopefully accede to the Agreement in the nearest future and join the combined efforts of the countries along the African-Eurasian Flyways by furthering migratory waterbird conservation at flyway level.

Click here to read the full Ramsar announcement.