The Senegal Bird Atlas is an initiative of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, with the support of the African-Eurasian Migratory Landbird Action Plan (AEMLAP). The project is a first for a French-speaking country in Africa and is an important part of the Africa Bird Atlas Project.
The Senegal Bird Atlas project was launched at Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar on November 20th2023. The launch brought together various stakeholders including Cheikh Anta Diop University, Switzerland Ornithological Institute, Senegal National Parc Direction (DPN), Senegal Community Marine Protected Areas Department (DMCP), Nature Communauté et Développement (BirdLife Partner in Senegal), Wetlands International Africa, Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux(LPO), Senegal Ecological Monitoring Center (CSE), Senegal Department of Water and Forests, Hunting and Soil Conservation (DEFCCS) and the University Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis (UGB ).
The Senegal Bird Atlas is an initiative of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, with the support of the African-Eurasian Migratory Landbird Action Plan (AEMLAP). The project is a first for a French-speaking country in Africa and is an important part of the Africa Bird Atlas Project.
Hooded, Eurasian Griffon, Rupell’s Griffon and White-backed Vultures, Senegal, copyright Yeray Seminario
Africa boasts great avian diversity, with more than 2400 species of birds, including more than 1300 species in West Africa. The geographical location of Senegal offers a diversity of ecosystems important for the conservation of biodiversity, particularly birds, from sea birds to forest birds and savannah birds.
The project will be developed in collaboration with local stakeholders such as various departments of the Ministry of the Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, civil society associations, ornithologists’ clubs, protected area eco-guards and ecotourism guides, as well as those international organization.
According to Dr Ngoné Diop, a research professor in the Department of Animal Biology at Cheikh Anta Diop University and co-initiator of the project, “the Atlas of African Birds already exists”. He added, “this is a major milestone as previously, the African Bird Atlas only profiled English-speaking countries eg, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. This is the first Atlas bird for a Francophone country.
After the workshop of the Senegal Bird Atlas project, Dr Yvette Diallo, East Atlantic Flyway Conservation Officer at BirdLife International expects the public to participate.For me, this is the main challenge of this project. Over and above the involvement of stakeholders, we also need the people of Senegal to use this project, which will help the conservation of biodiversity and birds in general. This will help decision makers to restore and implement conservation measures.”.
Alain Jacot, a member of the Swiss Ornithological Institute, a partner in the project, spoke about the importance of such an initiative to preserve the species and the habitats where they hibernate. “In this action plan, we focus on the prevention and protection of endangered species. We are trying to find out where these birds go. And to do that, we need monitoring and atlas projects where people go out and do bird counts.“
“Senegal has great ornithological potential. Successful completion of this Atlas project will increase knowledge of bird species. But most importantly, it will allow us to better report on species with reliable data, so we can better develop conservation projects” said Moussa Ka, Nature Community and Development representative for northern Senegal.
The overall objective of this workshop is to put mechanisms in place to collect up-to-date, reliable bird distribution data for the Senegal Bird Atlas. To achieve this, the project will rely on environmental education strategies to raise awareness of birds and conservation, bringing together people from different sectors and showing them the importance of monitoring projects based in citizen science. In addition to the research already conducted on Senegal’s avifauna, the project will promote the improvement of bird research policies by using conservation planning strategies based on up-to-date, reliable data.