Dagona Birds Sanctuary

Dagona Birds Sanctuary
LocationBade, Yobe State, Northeastern Nigeria
Area657 square kilometres (254 sq mi)

Dagona Birds Sanctuary is a waterfowl sanctuary and a tourist centre located in Bade, an LGA in Yobe State, Northeastern Nigeria. It is one of the important regions marked for conservation of avifauna species in Sub-Saharan Africa.[1][2]

Description[edit]

The Sanctuary is part of the Chad Basin National Park.[3] It is centered around a seasonally flooded ox-bow lake, located at Kuza Fadama on the tributary of the river Hadejia and covers an estimated area of 657 sq. km. Besides the lake, the sanctuary comprises woodland and grassland. Wildlife in it includes Palearctic and Afrotropical migratory water birds, and the flora and fauna of both Sudano-Sahel and forest ecological zones.[citation needed] The lake is used as a seasonal stop-over habitat by thousands of exotic birds migrating during the winter from Europe, Americas and Asia.[4]

International visitors[edit]

Several distinguished people have visited the sanctuary, including Prince Bernhard of Netherlands in 1987, Prince Philips in 1989, Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1990[5]

Climate change[edit]

Climate change has caused both drought and flooding in the sanctuary, alternately drying up the wetlands and washing away nests. Seasonal migrants to the lake are increasingly scarce.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Dagona Birds Sanctuary". Visit Nigeria Now. Retrieved 2022-05-08.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ GA, Lameed (2012). "Species diversity and richness of wild birds in Dagona-Waterfowl Sanctuary, Nigeria". African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development. 12 (53): 6460–6478. doi:10.18697/ajfand.53.9745. eISSN 1684-5374. hdl:1807/55847. ISSN 1684-5358. S2CID 86448733.
  3. ^ "Chad Basin National Park". Nigeria National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  4. ^ "Dagona Birds Sanctuary Yobe State :: Nigeria Information & Guide". www.nigeriagalleria.com. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  5. ^ a b "Yobe's ecological sanctuary dies as climate change chases birds away - Premium Times Nigeria". 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2022-05-08.