The Secretary General of the Ministry in charge of the Environment, Sibidou Sina, chaired, this Tuesday, August 11, 2020 in Ouagadougou, the workshop to validate the summary report of the national monograph on biological diversity in Burkina Faso, on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. The aim of this second monograph of the genus is to take stock of all species throughout the country and those in danger of extinction, in order to better protect them.

Nearly 400 species are currently endangered in Burkina Faso. At least that is what the summary report of the national monograph reveals, which was validated on Tuesday, August 11 in Ouagadougou. This situation is worrying, according to the Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment, Sibidou Sina. “The interest of the monograph for us is first to know the extent of the damage, the current level of degradation; and if all this is known, measures will be taken according to each category in order to reverse the trend”, explained Mr. Sina.

Defined as a detailed study of a given issue, the monograph, in the context of biological diversity, will, according to the Secretary-General, make it possible to identify all existing information and to highlight all the problems in order to propose solutions.

This national monograph is a tool for planning and managing all natural resources for all actors involved in the field. This is what underlined the focal point of biological diversity in Burkina, Amadé Ouedraogo. According to him, the document will make it possible, in a concrete way, to assess the current situation of biological diversity in all its components, while taking into account the socio-economic factors influencing its management. This will make it possible to provide actors in the field with a general map in order to move towards the harmonious management of biological diversity.

Sibidou Sina has already taken stock of all the components of Burkina Faso's biological diversity. In total, 3,630 species have been recorded by experts. These are 2,067 species of higher plants, 662 species of lower plants, and 26 fern plants. As for animal species, there are 120 fish, 520 wild birds, 23 farmed birds, 23 farmed birds, 123 wild mammals and 91 farmed mammals, 51 bats, 42 amphibians and 96 reptiles including 9 turtles, 4 crocodiles, 4 crocodiles, 54 snakes and 29 lizards.