Niokolo-Koba National Park

TheNiokolo-Koba National Park(French:Parc National du Niokolo Koba, PNNK) is aWorld Heritage Siteand natural protected area in southeasternSenegal, near theGuineaborder. It is served byNiokolo-Koba Airport, an unpaved airstrip.
Established as a reserve in 1925,Niokolo-Koba was declared a Senegalese national park on 1 January 1954. Expanded in 1969, it was inscribed as aWorld Heritage Sitein 1981 as a UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve.In 2007, it was added to theUNESCOList of Endangered World Heritage sites. It was removed from the list in 2024, following improvements in the park's state of conservation.
Since 2005, the protected area is considered aLionConservation Unit.
The park lies in an upland region through which the upper stretch of theGambia Riverflows, towards the northwestern border of Guinea. The biosphere park itself covers some 9,130 square kilometres, in a great arc running from UpperCasamance/Kolda Regionat theGuinea-Bissauborder into theTambacounda Regionto within a hundred kilometers of the Guinean border near the southeast corner of Senegal. Its altitude ranges from 16m to as high as 311m.
Most of the park is woodland savannah and semi-arid forest, with large areas of wooded and seasonal wetlands. The park contains over 1,500 species of plants and 78% of thegallery forestin Senegal.
Many trees and shrubs are covered by lush vegetation along the river stalks, and this vegetation changes according to the terrain and soil. In the valleys and plains, there are vast areas whereVetiveriaand herbaceous savannah grow. Overgrown grasslands typically consist ofPaspalum arbiculareandEchinochloa. There are also areas wherebamboogrows.
In valleys and belt-shaped forests, the species reflects the climate of southern Guinea, and tropical woodylianasare abundant.
Semiaquaticspecies live on the riverside, and annual plants disappear when the water level rises. At the edge of the pond, dry forests and herbaceous savanna develop depending on the degree of humidity orsoil compaction. Sometimes, thick bushes calledMimosa pigraoccupy the middle of the wetlands.
The national park is known for its wildlife. The government of Senegal estimates the park contains 20 species ofamphibians, 60 species of fish, and 38 species of reptiles (of which four are tortoises). There are also some 80 mammal species. These include (as of 2005) an estimated 11,000buffalo, 6,000hippopotamuses, 400western giant eland, 50elephants, 120 lions, 150chimpanzees, 3,000waterbuck(Kobus ellipsiprymnus), 2,000common duikers(Sylvicapra grimmia), an unknown number ofWestern red colobus(Piliocolobus badius), and a few rareAfrican leopardsandWest African wild dogs(Lycaon pictus manguensis), although this canid was thought to be wiped out throughout the rest of the country.
Other mammals includeroan antelope,Guinea baboon,green monkey,patas monkey, andwarthog.
Around 330 species of birds have been sighted in the park, notably theArabian bustard,black crowned crane,Abyssinian ground hornbill(Bucorvus abyssinicus),martial eagle,bateleur(Terathopius ecaudatus), andwhite-faced duck(Dendrocygna viduata).
There are also reptiles such as three species ofcrocodileand four species oftortoise.