Thewildlife of Chad is composed of itsflora andfauna.[1][2]West African lions,African buffalo,hippopotamuses,Kordofan giraffes,antelopes,African leopards,cheetahs,hyenas,bush elephants, and many species ofsnakes are found there, although most large carnivore populations have been drastically reduced since the early 20th century.[1][3]Elephant poaching, particularly in the south of the country in areas such asZakouma National Park, is a severe problem.
As of 2011, there were 2,288 species of plants in the country, 55 of which areendemic.[2] Precipitation varies widely from south to the north. The country is also subject to hot, dry, dusty, conditions.Harmattan winds are a feature in the northern part of the country. Droughts andlocust plagues are also common. The vegetation in the country is broadly categorized under the three regions of the northern Sahara zone, the central Sahel zone, and the southern Sudan zone; all three zones are of equal proportion.[1]
In Chadforest cover is around 3% of the total land area, equivalent to 4,313,000 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 6,730,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 4,293,000 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 19,800 hectares (ha). For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership.[4][5]
The northern part of the country which has the Sahara desert and which borders Libya and the volcanic massif ofTibesti (3,415 metres (11,204 ft)) forms part of the northern zone. Vegetation is dominantly tropical in the tropical zone of the country with deserts having least vegetative growth. However, a large area of desert dunes lie betweenLake Chad and theOuaddai massif, where fringes ofxerophyticscrubland is noted.[1]
The montane vegetation on the massif is rich, unlike the vegetation that is in the lowlands. Woody vegetation occurs in some deep gorges of theEnnedi massif, which rises to 1,450 metres (4,760 ft). A flat terrain supports Sahelian grasslands. The transition zone that lies between the southern Sahel and northern Sudan–Guinea is also a seasonal wetland. The Sudan Savanna zone mostly consists of Sudanian woodland with intermittent vegetation ofedaphicgrassland andAcacia.[1]
The well-drained soils of the area once supported areas of dense woodlands withebony and kapok[specify] trees (species of theMalvaceae family), but this has declined due to soil erosion and degradation.[3] Vegetation found in the area includesacacias,baobab,desert date,palms, Africanmyrrh, and Indianjujube. Found within the lake itself are aquatic plants such asreeds,papyrus,ambatch, andwater lilies.[3]
As of 2002, there were at least 134species ofmammals and 532 species ofbirds (354 species of residents and 155 migrants) in Chad.[1] Before the 20th century,Chad reportedly had a rich fauna of large carnivores in the Lake Chad region, but due to deforestation, hunting and competition from livestock most of the population oflions,leopards,rhinoceros, andhippopotamus have disappeared from the region.[3]
TheZakouma National Park is an important habitat with the highest number oflarge mammals.[6]Ouadi Rime Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve is home to a growing population of around 600scimitar horned oryx. This antelope species had become extinct in Chad in the late 1990s and was declaredextinct in the wild in 2000, a reintroduction project was started by theSahara Conservation and theEnvironment Agency of Abu-Dhabi in 2016[7] establishing the only truly wild herd.
Following theoryx reintroduction,addax (Addax nasomaculatus) were reintroduced starting in 2019, as this species was thought to have become extinct in the reserve and possiblyextinct in Chad as a whole.[8][9] Other species reported are:dama gazelle (Nanger dama),red-fronted gazelle (Gazella rufifrons),dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas),patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas),striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena),Sudan cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii),caracal (Felis caracal),Chadian wild dog (Lycaon pictus sharicus),African elephant (Loxodonta africana),spotted-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis),African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis),sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekei) andkob (Kobus kob). Rodent species reported areMastomys verheyeni andgerbil (Taterillus lacustris).[10]African rock pythons andspitting cobras are the reptile species reported.[citation needed]
Lake Chad has 179 species offish which feed onvegetation,phytoplankton andzooplankton. Some of the species reported arecatfish (Clarias gariepensis),tilapia,cichlids,characin (Alestes baremoze) andNile perch (Lates niloticus).Lungfish andsailfin are the two other unique species in the lake.Crocodile andhippopotamus also inhabit the lake as do birds, and it is an important destination for many migratory species of birds.[10]
BirdLife International has reported 532 species of birds of which 354 residents and 155 are migrants, the Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World reports 587 species including 6 globally threatened species.[11] Of these the species undercritically endangered,endangered,near-threatened, andvulnerable categories are:[11]
Critically endangered[edit]
Endangered[edit]
Vulnerable[edit]
| Near-threatened[edit]
|
Theviolet turaco (Musophaga violacea) is a species ofleast concern, which is found in large numbers in a range of less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi) covering many African countries including Chad.[12]
The protected parks, reserves, protection forests, reforestation areas, andRamsar Wetlands of international importance in the country include theIUCN Level II categorizedAouk (7,400 km2 or 2,900 sq mi),Goz Beïda,Manda (1,140 km2 or 440 sq mi), andZakouma (3,000 km2 or 1,200 sq mi) national parks. The country has a number of faunal reserves which are loosely protected including:
Aside from the numerous protected forests,Tibesti Massif is also a protected area. The wetlands of international importance—under theRamsar Convention–are theRamsar Sites atLake Fitri (Lac Fitri; 1,950 km2 or 750 sq mi),Binder-Léré Faunal Reserve (Réserve de faune de Binder-Léré; 1,350 km2 or 520 sq mi) and the Chadian section of Lake Chad (partie tchadienne du lac Tchad; 16,481.68 km2 or 6,363.61 sq mi).[13][14][15]
In addition to parks and reserves, eightImportant Bird Areas (IBAs) have been identified and supported by BirdLife International. These cover 11.2 percent of the country, an area of 146,500 square kilometres (56,600 sq mi), some overlapping with parks and reserves. Of these, theOuadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim IBA is the largest, covering an area of more than 6 percent of the area of the country.[1]
Efforts have been made by theFood and Agriculture Organization to improve relations between farmers, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists in the Zakouma National Park (ZNP), Siniaka-Minia, and Aouk reserve in southeastern Chad to promote sustainable development.[16] As part of the national conservation effort, more than 1.2 million trees have been replanted to check the advancement of the desert, which helps the local economy by way of financial return from acacia trees, which producegum arabic, and also from fruit trees.
Poaching is a serious problem in the country, particularly of elephants for the profitableivory industry and a threat to lives of rangers even in the national parks such as Zakouma. Elephants have been massacred in herds in and around the parks by organized poaching.[17] The problem is exacerbated by understaffing. A number of wardens have been murdered by poachers.[18]
