The Gababedji Total is a nature reserve in the central region of Niger. It is a Total Fauna Reserve IUCN type IV, covering some 76,000 hectares within the northern tip of the Marajo region just north of the town of Dakora and south of the border with the Agadez region of Niger.
Gababedji Total Reserve was planned to protect Sahelo-Saharan antelopes, mainly the Scimitar-horned Oryx and Dama Gazelle populations which have largely disappeared due to local population pressures. In the 1940s, the area was along an important migration route for the animals from the Tenere desert to the Adar in the south of the country. It remains a transhumance route for domesticated cattle and camels, as well as some wild Dorcas and Ménas Gazellesthe reserve is a proposed site of future Oryx reintroduction.
The site, which is located in the center of the country, covers an area of 1,413,625 ha. It comprises a mosaic of savannas, depressions, pits, and sand dunes. The fauna is diverse and includes large mammals such as the Dorcas gazelle, the pale fox, or the golden jackal. The population of the reserve belongs to two main ethnic groups – the Tuaregs and the Peuls – with nearly 20,500 inhabitants; the main activity is pastoralism with a nomadic lifestyle.
Located in a climatic transition zone between the Sahel and the Sahara, the Gadabédji Biosphere Reserve represents, in part, the characteristic and important ecosystem of the Sahelo-Saharan biogeographical region. It is particularly important for the conservation of Saharan wildlife in that it is an area rich in pasture and natural habitat for wildlife.
Potential tourism development in Gababedji total reserve Niger
Once peace is restored in Niger there will be a great opportunity to re-introduce species like oryx, Dama gazelle that once live in the nature reserve, and creation of community activities in the area is potential here as the people here have unique cultures to other parts of Niger and also an exploration of Agadez town can be possible from the reserve.
