The W National Park (French: Parc national du W) or W Regional Park (French: W du Niger) is a large park in West Africa located near a bend in the Niger River that looks like the letter W (French: double v). The park covers parts of three countries: Niger, Benin, and Burkina Faso. It is managed by the governments of these three nations. Until 2008, a project called ECOPAS (Protected Ecosystems in Sudano-Sahelian Africa, French: Écosystèmes protégés en Afrique soudano-sahélienne), funded by the European Union, helped support the park’s management. The three national parks are now known as the W Transborder Park (French: Parc régional W). The part of W National Park in Benin covers more than 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles). Since June 2020, this area has been fully managed by African Parks. In Benin, W National Park is connected to Pendjari National Park, which is also managed by African Parks.

History

The W National Park of Niger was established by a government order on August 4, 1954. Since 1996, it has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Niger, the park is classified as a National Park and falls under IUCN Type II, which refers to a protected area focused on conserving wildlife and their habitats. It is part of a larger network of reserves and protected areas. These include the nearby Dallol Bosso, a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) located on the eastern side of the Niger River, and the smaller "Parc national du W," which also overlaps with the Ramsar site. All three areas are designated as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by BirdLife International, with codes IBA NE001, IBA BF008, and IBA BJ001.

On February 8, 2022, two vehicles used by African Parks in Benin’s section of the W National Park hit land mines believed to be placed by Islamic terrorists, resulting in eight deaths.

Between July 25 and 26, 2024, five Beninese park rangers and seven soldiers were killed in a shooting attack within the park.

On April 17, 2025, 54 Beninese soldiers were killed in an attack inside the park, which was claimed by the group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin.

Geography

The regional park spans about 10,000 km² (3,900 sq mi) across three nations. This area is mostly not lived in by people today. Until the 1970s, it was a wetland region where malaria was common, formed by the delta of the Mékrou River meeting the Niger River. Rocky hills interrupt the wetlands. In the past, the area was once a major place where humans lived, as shown by the many archaeological sites, such as tombs, discovered there.

Flora

A total of 454 plant species were listed in the park, including two orchids that are only found in Niger. The park is also the southernmost point where tiger bush plateaus are found in Niger.

Fauna

The park is home to many large mammals, such as aardvark, baboon, African buffalo, caracal, cheetah, African bush elephant, hippopotamus, African leopard, West African lion, serval, and warthog. It provides a habitat for some of West Africa’s last wild African elephants. However, the rare West African giraffe, which is now found only in small areas of Niger, is not present in the park. The W park is also known for having packs of the endangered West African wild dog in the past, though this animal may no longer live there.

The park is one of the last important areas for the Northwest African cheetah. A small group of about 25 cheetahs is believed to live in the W–Arli–Pendjari protected area complex.

The W National Park is also famous for its bird populations, especially migrating birds that visit temporarily. More than 350 bird species have been identified in the park. BirdLife International has recognized the park as an Important Bird Area.

Literature

• Convers Arnaud, Chaibou Issa, Binot Aurélie, Dulieu Dominique (2007) Managing seasonal animal movement in the area near the W Regional Park in Niger through the Ecopas program: a project-based approach for planning the park’s surrounding region. Vertigo Hors Série 4. URL: http://vertigo.revues.org/761; DOI: 10.4000/vertigo.761
• Benoit M (1998) Land use and soil conditions near the W National Park in Niger. Volume 1: Study of natural environments and plant resources in Tamou and the W Park. ORSTOM, Niamey, Niger, 41 pages. [1]
• Doussa S (2004) Effects of cotton farming on natural resource management in the W Park. Master’s thesis, University of Ouagadougou.
• Grégoire JM, Fournier A, Eva H, Sawadogo L (2003) Analysis of fire patterns and changes in vegetation cover in the W Park across Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger. 64 pages. [2]
• Hogan C.Michael (2009) Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus. GlobalTwitcher.com, edited by N. Stromberg.
• Koster S, Grettenberger J (1983). "Preliminary survey of birds in W Park, Niger." Malimbus. 5: 62–72.
• Nacoulma, B.M.I. (2012): Dynamics and conservation strategies for vegetation and plant diversity in the W National Park complex in Burkina Faso. PhD thesis, University of Ouagadougou.
• Nacoulma, B.M.I., Schmidt, M., Hahn, K., Thiombiano, A. (2020): A list of vascular plants in the W National Park in Burkina Faso, including nearby hunting areas of Tapoa-Djerma and Kondio. Biodiversity Data Journal 8: e54205. [3]
• Poche R (1976). "List of plants in W National Park, Niger." Africa Mig. Field. 41 (3): 113–115.
• Poche R (1973). "Niger’s threatened W Park." Oryx. 12 (2): 216–222. DOI: 10.1017/s003060530001156x.
• Rabeil T (2003) Potential distribution of large mammals in the W Park in Niger. Doctoral Thesis, University of Paris VII. 463 pages. [4]
• Price et al. (2003) The “W” Regional Park of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger: Using regional cooperation to address local and cross-border challenges. World Parks Congress 2003, Durban, South Africa. In: Pansky, Diane (ed.). 2005. Governance Stream of the Vth World Parks Congress. Ottawa, Canada: Parks Canada and IUCN/WCPA. ISBN R62-375/2003E-MRC 0-662-40433-5. [5]
• W National Park of Niger. 2009. [6]
• Zwarg A, Schmidt M, Janßen T, Hahn K, Zizka G (2012) Plant diversity, plant traits, and soil conditions in grass savannas on lateritic crusts (bowé) in southeastern Burkina Faso. Flora et Vegetatio Sudano-Sambesica 15: 15–24. [7]