Batéké Plateau National Park
Gabon · Africa
About
Batéké Plateau National Park (French: Parc National des Plateaux Batéké) is a national park on the Bateke Plateau, southeastern Gabon covering 2,034 km2 (785 sq mi). Due to its purported universal cultural and natural significance, it was added onto the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on October 20, 2005. The Bateke Plateau Forest Savanna depicts the landscape of Central Africa. This national park harbours a rich biodiversity.
In 2015, a single male lion was recorded in the park. Genetic analysis of his hair samples revealed that he is closely related to historical lion specimens from this area and the neighbouring Republic of the Congo, which grouped with Panthera leo melanochaita samples from Namibia and Botswana. Commercial hunting on the plateau in order to satisfy the markets in Congo and Gabon, especially large mammals, is a significant threat to the local fauna.
Wildlife Conservation Society Virtual Tour of the National Parks Parc national des Plateaux Batéké - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved on 2009-03-19.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.