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Each year, Africa's Niger and Bani rivers rise and spill over their banks, flooding an enormous area. When this happens, the resulting flooded grasslands become an ideal habitat for waterbirds. As many as two million birds may converge in this ecoregion at the height of the migration season.
The Inner Niger Delta Flooded Savanna ecoregion has a hot, dry climate for most of the year. During the dry season, winds from the Sahara can bring hot air with temperatures of more than 104°F (40° C). Rainfall varies, but can be as high as 24 inches (600 mm) a year in the south and as low as 8 inches (200 mm) in the north. Flooding typically begins in the south in August or September and reaches the northern margins of the ecoregion in December. The total flooded area can grow to be as large as 12,000 square miles (30,000 sq. km).
The Inner Niger Delta is the most important wetland site in the region for both palearctic and Afro-tropical birds. Some one million garganies, over 400,000 pintails, and more than 300,000 ruffs may be present in the wetlands at one time. Many smaller migrating birds pause to feed and rest here on their long journeys. A total of about 350 bird species have been recorded in the region. In addition, 100 species of fish swim in the region's waterways, many of them making long-distance migrations to spawn on the extensive floodplains. The delta also provides habitat for the West African manatee, a severely endangered aquatic mammal.
More than 500,000 people live in the Inner Delta of the Niger River, herding millions of sheep and goats and using the floodplains for dry-season grazing. They also fish for sustenance and income and grow many crops on the wetland's productive soils. These activities have caused some habitat loss in the region, but damming and irrigation projects pose even more serious threats. For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report. All text by World Wildlife Fund © 2001
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