The security crisis in Burkina should not relegate to the background the one that the country's authorities had already initiated against poachers in the country's protected areas, particularly in Arly National Park. At the risk not only of offering a haven to terrorists and that they act in place of traditional poachers.
On several occasions, those whom some often call unidentified armed men and who are in reality most often only terrorists, have been reported in the protected area of which the Arly National Park is an integral part. Adjoining other national parks, namely Pendjari National Park in Benin and W National Park in Niger, where terrorists have already been reported, the park is now under extreme vigilance.
With its parks in neighboring countries, it forms what is called the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex. This entire area, which covers 217,930 hectares, was already listed as a World Heritage Site in 1996. Because of the richness of the three parks in terms of both flora and fauna. Specialists speak of the largest and most important continuum of terrestrial, semi-aquatic and aquatic ecosystems in the West African savannah belt. A situation that has earned him great attention from the specialized agencies of the United Nations system for his protection.
Arly park under surveillance
Arly Park is located in the extreme southwest of Burkina Faso. 435 km from Ouagadougou, the capital, it is in the province of Tapoa, on the borders of Benin and Niger. In addition to being inscribed on the World Heritage List, UNESCO has also placed Arly National Park on the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. This admission has only increased the responsibility of the institutions responsible, both nationally and internationally, for very special monitoring in order to prevent its plant cover from being damaged or its fauna decimated.
It's not just animals like elephants or hippos or other species to see, there's nature too. Although it is not dense or virgin forest here, the wooded savannah with its specific species is expressed in all its splendour. An invitation to discovery by combining several activities at the same time that the terrorists try to thwart by their actions. By carrying out attacks throughout the south-west of the country, they are at the very least disrupting the normal activity of tourism which allows you to discover this park which is worth a visit in peace.
A few years ago, the need had arisen to build life bases and outposts in order to keep a permanent eye on possible intruders. These protective measures that prevent animals from fearing humans through the actions of those who poach them have the effect of facilitating safari and observation. In the sense that they become less fearful and allow themselves to be admired. Thus, as far as Burkina Faso is concerned, several infrastructures had been built or rehabilitated in the implementation of this program. We can mention in particular five living bases in Saborga, Tougou, Kabougou, Kondio and Tapoa Djerma. The objective is to contribute to the strengthening of everything that helps to ensure the fight against poaching and better protection of the environment as a whole.
With the security crisis that Burkina Faso is currently facing, all measures are being further strengthened. Indeed, it is necessary to avoid at all costs that this national treasure does not serve as a den for these unidentified armed individuals or terrorists and all the more reason to be ransacked.
By Tcha Sakaro
