Batéké Plateau National Park

Batéké Plateau National Park (French: Parc National des Plateaux Batéké) is a national park on the Bateke Plateau,[1] southeastern Gabon covering 2,034 km2 (785 sq mi). Due to its purported universal cultural and natural significance, it was added onto the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on October 20, 2005.

Batéké Plateau National Park
Map showing the location of Batéké Plateau National Park
Map showing the location of Batéké Plateau National Park
Location within Gabon
LocationHaut-Ogooué Province, Gabon
Coordinates2°11′17″S 14°01′12″E / 2.188°S 14.02°E / -2.188; 14.02[1]
Area2,034 km2 (785 sq mi)
Established2002
Governing bodyNational Agency for National Parks

The Bateke Plateau Forest Savanna depicts the landscape of Central Africa. This national park harbours a rich biodiversity.[2]

Fauna edit

In 2015, a single male lion was recorded in the park. Genetic analysis of his hair samples revealed that he is closely related to historical lion specimens from this area and the neighbouring Republic of the Congo, which grouped with Panthera leo melanochaita samples from Namibia and Botswana.[3]

Commercial hunting on the plateau in order to satisfy the markets in Congo and Gabon, especially large mammals, is a significant threat to the local fauna.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Plateaux Batéké in Gabon". protectedplanet.net. Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
  2. ^ "Bateke Plateaux Landscape". congo.wcs.org. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  3. ^ Barnett, R.; Sinding, M.H.; Vieira, F.G.; Mendoza, M.L.; Bonnet, M.; Araldi, A.; Kienast, I.; Zambarda, A.; Yamaguchi, N.; Henschel, P. & Gilbert, M.T. (2018). "No longer locally extinct? Tracing the origins of a lion (Panthera leo) living in Gabon". Conservation Genetics. 19 (3): 611–618. doi:10.1007/s10592-017-1039-2. PMC 6448349. PMID 31007636.
  4. ^ "Bateke Plateaux Landscape". Congo Wildlife Conservation Society. Retrieved 2020-09-07.

External links edit