Chad
With a surface area of 1,284,000 km² (495,755 square miles), Chad is a vast land-locked nation situated in the heart of Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroun to the south-west, and Niger to the west. Chad’s population is estimated at around 10 million. This represents a density of less than 8/km², a figure that hides the fact that only about 5% of the population lives in the northern half of the country.
Chad can be divided into 3 major ecological zones. In the north, the Sahara, occupying around 48% of the country’s surface area. Rainfall is less than 200mm annually and the inhabitants largely nomadic, with herds of camels and small ruminants. In the centre of the country, covering around 40% of its surface area, is the Sahelian zone, characterized by a sub-desert climate and dry savanna and Acacia grassland vegetation. Rainfall is in the order of 200-600mm annually. Finally, in the south, occupy about 10% of the surface area, is zone of Sudan savanna and the first indications of truly forested ecosystems. Rainfall can attain 1200mm annually.
From geological and topographical perspectives, Chad lies across a shallow basin, partly enclosed by mountains and upland plateaus. In the north, lies the Tibesti Mountains, a vast and diverse range that culminates in one of Africa’s highest peaks, Emi Koussi (3415m). To east and north-east are the sandstone massifs and plateaus of the Ouaddai and Ennedi. The latter, because of its altitude (c.1400m), relative seclusion and permanent water sources, is a true Sahelo-Saharan hot-spot for a wide range of plants and animals. In the west, shared by Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroun, is Lake Chad, a large but shallow body of freshwater that is now perilously close to drying up altogether.
Although most inhabitants are occupied by herding or agriculture, and of late the exploitation of regionally important oil reserves, Chad’s economy has suffered for many years from civil war and unrest, activities which have also had a major impact on the country’s once-abundant wildlife resources. Up until the mid-1970s, Chad’s aridland wildlife was without comparison. Today, only remnants can be found but their conservation is none the less a high priority given the global scarceness of the species concerned (dama gazelle, addax, Barbary sheep, etc.).
Chad once had an extremely comprehensive network of protected areas covering virtually all major ecosystems. This included two national parks (Zakouma, Manda) and seven wildlife reserves. Unfortunately, civil strife and lack of resources resulted in the virtual abandonment of many reserves. Chad is a signatory to many conventions, including those on Biodiversity, Climate Change, CITES, Desertification and CMS.
In 2001 and again in 2005, SCF participated in surveys in Chad to assess the status of wildlife populations and to develop conservation initiatives. Of particular interest are the Ennedi, Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve, Bodélé and north Kanem. Significant relict populations of addax and dama gazelle can still be found, and it is quite possible that central Chad still holds the largest remaining population of dorcas gazelles in the wild. Plans are underway to link conservation action in Niger and Chad through trans-boundary initiatives, developed to conserve the shared wildlife populations that inhabit the desert in this region.
