Nature in Niger

Niger's natural landscapes change sharply from north to south. The Sahara and Ténéré contain large desert spaces and the Aïr volcanic massif, which rises to about 2,000 metres. Gueltas, oases and cuvettes oasiennes hold water and vegetation in otherwise dry areas. Dallols, floodplains and gallery forests support agriculture, grazing, fishing and wildlife along the Niger River, the Komadougou Yobé and around Lake Chad. The Sudano-Sahelian W-Arly-Pendjari area, commonly called WAP, contains savanna, wetlands and river systems shared across national borders. Gommeraies and parcs agroforestiers provide additional habitat and useful products. Niger uses several forms of protected area, including national parks, natural or integral reserves, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, hunting-interest zones and classified or protected forests. The Réserve Naturelle Nationale de l’Aïr et du Ténéré, or RNNAT, covers about 7,736,000 hectares. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991, has remained on the World Heritage in Danger list since 1992 and is also part of a biosphere reserve. The central Sanctuaire des Addax covers about 1,280,500 hectares. The W-Arly-Pendjari protected area is a trinational UNESCO property of about 1,714,831 hectares. Niger also has 14 sites listed in the current Ramsar profile, while the Aïr Gueltas/Oasis Ramsar site covers about 4,924,100 hectares. Published national figures use different dates and definitions. Government figures from 2026 place the national protected-area network at approximately 20.87 million hectares, or 16.47% of Niger's territory. The older 2024 SNPA/DB inventory records nine wildlife protected areas covering 1,928,240 hectares, or 15.21%, and lists 12 Ramsar sites covering 2,413,237 hectares. The current Ramsar profile lists 14 sites covering 7,534,289 hectares. These figures should not be added together because they describe different inventories and reference dates. The 2024 biodiversity inventory provides a basis of approximately 3,200 animal species: 168 mammals, 512 birds, 150 reptiles and amphibians, and 112 fish. These numbers are an inventory basis rather than a complete current census. The Aïr and Ténéré area contains recorded populations of about 40 mammal species, 165 bird species and 18 reptiles, while the Aïr Ramsar area has records of about 290 flowering plants and 150 bird species. The WAP landscape provides refuge for elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, African wild dogs, topi, hippopotamuses and manatees. Niger's legal List I includes species receiving integral protection, such as the hippopotamus, manatee, elephant, giraffe, cheetah, leopard, dama gazelle, addax, African wild dog, hyenas, oryx, Barbary sheep, crocodile, tortoise, python, ostrich, vultures and storks. List II provides partial protection, and List III applies cross-border regulation. Nature is directly linked to livelihoods. Pastoralism and transhumance depend on pasture and water. People farm in oases, cuvettes and floodplains, fish in rivers and wetlands, collect forest products, use wood energy and produce gum arabic. Wildlife and ecosystems also contribute to water regulation, soil protection, food security and climate resilience. Mining, oil pollution, agricultural expansion, illegal grazing, overgrazing, wood cutting, fire and poaching can reduce these benefits and fragment habitats. The Ministry of the Environment, Water and Sanitation, its General Directorate of Water and Forests, and the Directorate for Wildlife, Hunting, Parks and Reserves carry national responsibilities. Regional and local authorities, protected-area management units, community brigades and the Conseil National de l’Environnement pour un Développement Durable also contribute. WAP management uses a tripartite cross-border arrangement. A proposed decree concerning the Agence Nationale des Parcs du Niger was approved as a project in August 2026; it should not be described as a fully established institution until the legal and operational steps are complete. Nigerian law places protected-area management under state responsibility, but that status does not create unrestricted public access. Hunting is prohibited in national parks, faunal reserves, integral reserves and sanctuaries except for narrow scientific exceptions. Legal hunting generally requires a permit, and the hunter must be at least 18 years old; firearm hunting also requires an arms permit. Scientific permits specify the species, sex and number allowed. A customary hunting permit is limited to documented customary rights for subsistence or ritual purposes, applies outside parks, integral reserves, hunting zones, ranches and game farms, and follows conditions set by ministerial order. Wildlife trade, exchange and market sale are prohibited except for persons authorized by the minister. The detention, transport, import, export and possession of trophies are also regulated. The published fee schedule in Loi 98-07 lists sport-hunting permits for nationals at 20,000, 35,000 or 55,000 FCFA for small, medium or large game; resident rates at 40,000, 60,000 or 90,000 FCFA; and visitor rates at 75,000, 100,000 or 150,000 FCFA. It also lists scientific permits at 25,000 FCFA for birds, 75,000 for mammals, 45,000 for reptiles and 25,000 for amphibians. Guide licences are listed at 500,000 FCFA per zone and season, and concession licences at 1,500,000 FCFA per zone and season. These published amounts require confirmation before use because current permits, quotas, seasons and administrative conditions may change. Wildlife viewing and ecotourism are recognized protected-area purposes, but current access is highly constrained. The W plan describes approximately 30 tracks, two usable throughout the year and a wider network of about 917 kilometres, with visitor and patrol tracks distinguished. The current W-area operator statement says that visitor hosting is not presently possible because of regional security conditions. Reviewed travel advisories advise against all travel to Niger and report that movement outside Niamey may require authorization and escorted security. No current, general nature-visit tariff or reliable central booking process has been verified. A World Heritage or Ramsar designation therefore does not by itself guarantee entry. Environmental education includes biodiversity teaching, environmental information and communication, climate-change awareness, research, monitoring, traditional-knowledge work and awareness activities for local authorities. Community brigades support local participation, surveillance and conservation, while ecoguard professionalization was proposed in 2026. No evidence establishes a nationwide dedicated school pathway for nature education. Local participation and co-management have practical value, but their legal force differs according to the protected area and the implementing act. Drought and climate variability reduce pastoral productivity. Wind and water erosion, moving sand, siltation, drying wetlands, invasive terrestrial and aquatic plants, bush fires, ecological fragmentation and changing floodplain water levels alter habitats and access to resources. Human-wildlife conflict is especially relevant around hippopotamuses and the Kandadji area. Agricultural expansion, illegal grazing, pastoral pressure, fire, wood cutting, poaching and mining or oil impacts can create overlapping land-use conflicts. Surveillance, anti-poaching work, community brigades, intercommunity dialogue and co-management are among the documented responses.