Although Mauritania is now a must for ornithologists, this has not always been the case. In fact the first annotated list of the country’s birds was produced by B.Lamarche as recently as 1988.
Birds of Mauritania (bilingual French-English) has been co-written by a team of Mauritanian, French and Canadian authors. It offers an overview of current knowledge in celebration of the International year of Biodiversity and lists 506 observed bird species, of which 155 are known to nest and another 103 are assumed to do so. It also provides other information such as status, phenology, distribution, habitat, reproductive state, etc.
Aside from the mass of observations and studies that it presents, the book is intended to draw attention to the wealth of birdlife to be found in Mauritania, especially in the wetlands of the Banc d’Arguin. In 1986, Luc Hoffmann created the Fondation Internationale du Banc d’Arguin—whose headquarters are at the Tour du Valat—in order to protect this fragile ecosystem and assist the people of Mauritania in their quest to find a balance between conservation and the need to exploit their natural resources.
Reference:
Birds de Mauritanie/ Birds of Mauritania – SEOF Editions – ISBN 9 782916 802022
Prix : 38 euros
Authors:
- Paul Isenmann, doctor of science, retired CNRS researcher
- Maurice Benmergui, ornithologist, National Office for Hunting and Wild Animals
- Peter Browne, webmaster, West African Ornithological Society
- Amadou Diam Ba, Director Protected Coastal Areas of Mauritania
- Cheikh Hamallah Diagana, environmental expert, Senegal River Basin Development Authority
- Yelli Diawara, head of the operational department, Banc d’Arguin national park and coordinator of Projet Flamant
- Zine El Abidine ould Sidaty, conservator, Diawling national park and coordinator for Mauritania of the new Lower Senegal River Delta Transborder Biosphere Reserve
For any information: Paul ISENMANN [1]