Waza National Park is located in the Department of Logone-et-Chari, in the Far North Region of Cameroon. It was created in 1934 as a hunting reserve and covers an area of 1,700 square kilometers (660 square miles). In 1968, the park became a national park, and in 1979, it was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

To protect the park’s plant and animal life, a Management Plan was developed in 1997. This plan is said to be the first of its kind in Cameroon. The park is next to the Chingurmi-Duguma area of Nigeria’s Chad Basin National Park. There is also a plan to join Waza National Park with the Waza Logone floodplain as a Ramsar Site. When the park was established, people who lived in villages inside the park were moved to the edges of the park. This action aimed to reduce poaching and protect the park’s natural resources.

The main type of plant life in the park is found in the area where the Sahel and Sudan savanna meet. This includes acacia trees and open Yaéré savannah forests. The park is home to many animals, such as lions, African bush elephants, hyenas, hartebeests, roan antelopes, kobs, waterbucks, redbucks, gazelles, Sudan cheetahs, and West African giraffes. Birds found in the park include geese, egrets, North African ostriches, herons, pelicans, saddle-billed storks, and ibis.

Geography

The park is surrounded by the town of Waza to the west, the border with Nigeria, and Chad is 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away. To the east and northeast, the seasonally flooded "Yaéré" floodplain marks the area, and the Maroua–Kousséri road is located to the west.

The park’s habitat is mainly in the “Chad depression,” with an average elevation of 300–320 meters (980–1,050 feet). The highest ground reaches up to 500 meters (1,600 feet) near Waza village. The park’s topography is generally flat. Sand dunes in the western part of the park show evidence of past desert conditions. The Chad depression was once covered by Lake Chad. The land classification includes 88% terrestrial landscapes, 7% shrubland, and 5% grassland.

The climate is mostly semi-arid, with an average annual rainfall of 700 millimeters (28 inches) that occurs irregularly. Rain falls from June to October, and the dry season runs from November to May, sometimes beginning as early as October. The average annual temperature is 28°C (82°F). The coolest month, December, has average temperatures ranging from 16°C (61°F) to 33°C (91°F). In April, just before the rainy season, temperatures range from 21°C (70°F) to 41°C (106°F).

Soil types in the park are formed by erosion from high mountains. These include tropical ferruginous soils in catenas, hydromorphic soils, and vertisols. Heavy clays are the most common soil type in the park.

Because of the park’s topography, climate, and soil, its vegetation is divided into five main types: open combretaceous shrub savanna, Anogeissus leiocarpus woodland, Lannea humilis open grass savanna, Acacia seyal tree savanna, and Yaéré floodplains with perennial grasses. In desert areas with no permanent streams, there are no perennial grasses. Water holes are created for animals. The combretaceous shrub savanna includes Sclerocarya birrea trees, Combretum and Terminalia shrubs, and doum palms (Hyphaene thebaica). The Anogeissus leiocarpus woodland grows in sandy soils, with Mitragyna inermis near temporary water bodies. Lannea humilis savannas have short annual grasses, and patches of trees and Mitragyna inermis are found near temporary water bodies. These areas have compact clay soils but are very salty due to high evaporation. The Acacia seyal tree savanna grows in black clay soils that become very wet during the rainy season, causing grasses to grow slowly or dry up. The Yaéré floodplains support perennial grasses, including Vetiveria nigritana, Oryza barthii, Echinochloa pyramidalis, Echinochloa stagnina, and some herbaceous legumes like Sesbania pachycarpa. However, these areas often experience forest fires because there are no trees. In the central and western parts of the park, large areas of annual grasses and herbs are found, mixed with Acacia seyal shrublands. These areas were once flooded seasonally before the construction of the Maga dam.

The park is 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Maroua and 135 kilometers (84 miles) from Kousséri. It has paved roads. The park is open to the public from November 15 to June 15, and a guide is required to view wildlife, as per park rules.

Wildlife

The park has one of the largest mammal populations in central West Africa. There are 30 different mammal species in the park. Some species that are important for conservation include the red-fronted gazelle (Gazella rufifrons) (Vulnerable), whose numbers are increasing, and the korrigum (Damaliscus lunatus korrigum) (Vulnerable), which has a stable population. The endangered African bush elephant, which feeds in the Vachellia seyal shrublands, causes conflicts with farmers even far away from the park.

Since 2005, the protected area has been recognized as a Lion Conservation Unit. Waza National Park is home to a decreasing lion population. In 2010, it was estimated that 14–21 lions remained in the park. Waza National Park also hosts one of the last remaining populations of the Kordofan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum).

Kob antelope numbers increased to 5,000 in the 1990s after a strong decline in the 1980s. Other large animals in the park include warthogs and roan antelope. Ostriches have also been recorded. Elephants gather at Mare aux Éléphants, a well-known watering hole. Other species found in the park are hartebeest, korrigum, olive baboon, patas monkey, vervet monkey, leopard, cheetah, and nocturnal aardvark.

Amphibians in the park include the frog named after the park, Kassina wazae, and the Waza toad (Bufo wazae), which is now classified as Sclerophrys xeros.

Avifauna

The park, including the connected Logone floodplain, is home to 379 bird species. Some of the birds seen there include marbled duck, ferruginous duck, greater spotted eagle, scissor-tailed kite in grasslands, lesser kestrel, Nubian bustard (Neotis nuba), quail-plover, Arabian bustard, cattle egret, hornbill, various stork species, Abyssinian roller, and ostrich. Some bird species that are important for conservation include Marmaronetta angustirostris, Aythya nyroca, Clanga clanga, Falco naumanni, and Neotis nuba, which was recorded only once in 1998.

Grassland bird species reported in the area include Ortyxelos meiffrenii, Ardeotis arabs, Struthio camelus, and large numbers of Dendrocygna viduata and Balearica pavonina. Water birds are present in numbers greater than 20,000 throughout the year.

BirdLife International has reported the following bird species: garganey (Anas querquedula), great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), fox kestrel (Falco alopex), pallid harrier (Circus macrourus), Savile's bustard (Eupodotis savilei), black crowned-crane (Balearica pavonina), African collared-dove (Streptopelia roseogrisea), Senegal parrot (Poicephalus senegalus), red-throated bee-eater (Merops bulocki), Sahelian woodpecker (Dendropicos elachus), piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), Sennar penduline-tit (Anthoscopus punctifrons), red-pate cisticola (Cisticola ruficeps), river prinia (Prinia fluviatilis), Senegal eremomela (Eremomela pusilla), purple glossy-starling (Lamprotornis purpureus), chestnut-bellied starling (Lamprotornis pulcher), black scrub-robin (Cercotrichas podobe), chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser superciliosus), Sudan golden sparrow (Passer luteus), bush petronia (Petronia dentata), black-rumped waxbill (Estrilda troglodytes), and waterbirds.

Threats

Water supply to the low areas in the park has become a major problem for keeping many different plants and animals safe. This problem started because of the construction of the Maga Dam, which is about 25 kilometers (16 miles) south of the park. Dams built for farming along the Logone River caused poorer grasslands and the complete loss of fish in some areas. This also led to a sharp drop in the number of antelope. Under the Logone Project, artificial waterholes were dug to provide water year-round, but the floodplain still cannot support many animals. A study on how elephants affect acacia trees found their impact is not serious, but it must be watched closely to protect the park's plants. The study also highlights the need to restore the balance of water in the Waza–Logone floodplain. Research on lion killings by poachers in Waza Park showed that only about 40 lions remain, and they may soon disappear. A reason for this is not enough guards. While the IUCN recommends one guard for every 5,000 hectares of protected area, the number of guards in the park is much lower. This problem is now being fixed more effectively.

Management

The park is managed by the Conservation Service of the Waza National Park, which is part of Cameroon’s Ministry of Environment and the Protection of Nature. Waza was once considered the best-managed protected area in Cameroon. It now works with the IUCN Waza-Logone project to improve water availability in Waza National Park (1,700 km²) and the smaller Kalamaloue National Park (48 km²), as well as nearby areas through the Waza-Logone Project. This project covers floodplain areas of the Logone River and Logomatya River basins, which support many mammals and birds that rely on seasonal flooding. However, the construction of the Maga Dam, built for rice farming, greatly reduced the water supply to these floodplains. To help the floodplains remain healthy, IUCN started the "IUCN Waza-Logone Project" in 1994 with Cameroon’s Ministry of Environment and the Protection of Nature. The project aimed to improve fish production, protect grazing lands used by local people, and increase surface water to support plants, wildlife, and birds, including those that migrate from Europe during winter. The project created two seasonal water channels that connect the Logone River to the Logomatya River, improving water flow to floodplains. These efforts have led to better conditions for wetlands.

A management plan was developed for the project, and a local steering committee was formed. The project tested controlled harvesting of some natural resources, like straw and gum arabic, though these activities continued even after the park was established.

In 1983, the park had 25 rangers, but by 2005, this number had dropped to 7. Poachers from Chad, Nigeria, and Cameroon were reported to be harming the park’s resources. In 2005, the Netherlands World Conservation Union Committee agreed to fund 16 additional "eco-rangers" to help protect the area.

Floodplain restoration efforts began in 1994 and showed positive results. Waza National Park, the main benefit of the project, now has 370 species of resident and migratory birds in the Waza-Logone area, which includes eight types of habitats. The number of waterfowl increased from 59,000 in 1993 to 87,000 in 1997. Fish production from floodplains reached 2,000 tonnes (dry weight) in 1996/1997, with species such as Clarias, Tilapia, Alestes, Petrocephalus, and Labeo. Livestock numbers also grew, reaching about 100,000 units during the dry season.