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Designation of a new Ramsar site in Sudan: the inner delta of Khor Abu Habil

In the framework of the Ressource project [1] coordinated by the FAO and co-financed by the FGEF and the EU, the Tour du Valat [2] and Office Français de la Biodiversité [3] joint team is supporting its Sudanese partners: the Wildlife Conservation and General Administration (WCGA) and the High Council for the Environment and Natural Resources (HCENR) in the designation of a new Ramsar site in Sudan: the inner delta of Khor Abu Habil.

This endoreic delta is made up of hundreds of temporary pools that appear during flooding and then dry up in the middle of sand dunes, acacia woods and a desert savannah traversed by nomadic herders.

10 years after the discovery of this exceptional site for the reception of migratory waterbirds during the winter period, this proposal for the creation of a Ramsar zone of 9500 km² was presented to the National Ramsar Committee and to all the local representatives. These first steps towards designation were captured in the field by Alizée Chiappini [4] and Camille Barbé last December.

 

The Technical Support Unit for the AEWA African Initiative team (OFB/TDV) – 21/04/2022 ©Fondation François Sommer 2022
During an event entitled “Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats in Africa: International Cooperation for the Training of African Professionals” organized by the François Sommer Foundation [5] on April 21, 2022, the wildlife monitoring carried out by the Technical Support Unit for the AEWA African Initiative [6] (OFB/TDV) was presented. On this occasion, the film “Wetlands conservation in the Sahel: Sudanese experience” was shown for the first time.

This didactic film on the designation steps of a Ramsar site was co-financed by the François Sommer Foundation [5] and by the French Ministry of Environment.

Directed by : Alizée Chiappini [4] & Camille Barbé