Pendjari

The Pendjari Hunting Zone encompasses approximately 1,750 square kilometers of buffer territory surrounding Pendjari National Park in the Atacora Department of northwestern Benin. Established alongside the national park, this classified hunting zone serves as a critical buffer that extends wildlife habitat beyond the park's core boundaries. The zone is managed to balance controlled sport hunting with conservation objectives, generating revenue that supports both the national park and local communities. Together with the national park, it forms a contiguous protected landscape that is essential for maintaining viable populations of West African megafauna.

The hunting zone supports much of the same wildlife found in the adjacent national park, including elephants, buffalo, roan antelope, western hartebeest, kob, and warthogs that move freely between the two areas. Predators such as lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas utilize the zone, though at lower densities than the park core. The area is particularly important as a dispersal corridor, allowing wildlife populations to access seasonal resources across a broader landscape. Bird diversity is high, with savanna species like hornbills, rollers, and raptors commonly observed, along with waterbirds concentrated around seasonal pools and river margins during the dry season.

Vegetation in the hunting zone is characterized by Sudanian wooded savanna and open grasslands, forming a mosaic that mirrors the adjacent national park but with greater signs of historical human land use. Shea trees, nere, and baobabs are scattered throughout the landscape, interspersed with Combretum woodlands and taller Isoberlinia doka stands on deeper soils. Riparian forests line seasonal streams and permanent watercourses, providing important dry-season refugia for wildlife. The grasslands are maintained through annual controlled burning, which promotes fresh growth for herbivores and prevents the establishment of dense woody vegetation.

The hunting zone sits on the southern flanks of the Atacora mountain range, with terrain transitioning from rocky hillslopes in the north to undulating peneplain in the south. The underlying bedrock consists of Precambrian metamorphic rocks, including quartzites and schists, with extensive laterite capping on flat interfluves. Seasonal streams have eroded shallow valleys through the laterite, creating a gently rolling landscape with scattered inselbergs. Soils are generally thin and lateritic on uplands, becoming deeper and more fertile in valley bottoms where alluvial deposits support denser vegetation.

The zone experiences a Sudanian tropical climate with a pronounced single rainy season from May through October and a dry season spanning November to April. Annual rainfall averages approximately 1,000 millimeters, supporting the savanna woodland vegetation. The hottest period occurs in March and April when temperatures frequently exceed 38 degrees Celsius, while the harmattan season from December to February brings dry, dusty conditions with cooler nighttime temperatures. The wet season transforms the landscape into lush greenery with swollen watercourses, while the late dry season concentrates wildlife around remaining permanent water sources.

The Atacora region's human history extends back thousands of years, with evidence of iron smelting and agricultural settlements predating the colonial era. Various ethnic groups, including the Berba and Waaba peoples, traditionally practiced subsistence farming, hunting, and gathering in the area. French colonial administrators restricted local hunting rights when they established the reserve system in the 1950s, fundamentally altering the relationship between local communities and wildlife. Post-independence, the zone was formalized as a controlled hunting area, with regulated safari hunting replacing traditional subsistence hunting practices.

The hunting zone was established concurrently with the Pendjari Reserve in the 1950s under French colonial administration, initially serving as a buffer where controlled hunting was permitted to reduce human-wildlife conflict. After Benin's independence, the zone was maintained as a classified hunting area under national wildlife legislation. For decades, safari hunting concessions generated revenue but management was inconsistent. When African Parks took over management of the Pendjari complex in 2017, the hunting zone was integrated into the broader conservation strategy, with increased ranger presence and a more systematic approach to sustainable wildlife utilization.

The hunting zone offers a more remote and less-visited wilderness experience compared to the national park, with rough tracks winding through pristine savanna landscapes. Key attractions include the seasonal migration patterns of large herbivore herds that move between the park and the hunting zone following rainfall and grazing patterns. The Atacora escarpment provides dramatic scenic vistas where the flat savanna gives way to rugged mountain terrain. Several observation points along watercourses allow for wildlife viewing, particularly during the dry season when animals congregate at remaining pools. The zone's relative solitude offers an authentic African bush experience.

Access to the hunting zone is through Tanguieta, the same gateway town for Pendjari National Park, located in northwestern Benin. Visitor infrastructure is more limited than in the national park, with basic hunting camps and seasonal tented accommodations operated by concession holders. A sturdy 4x4 vehicle is essential, as tracks can become impassable during the wet season. The zone is typically open for hunting during designated seasons from December to May, with all activities requiring permits and accompanied by licensed guides. Non-hunting visitors may access certain areas with prior authorization from park management.

Under African Parks management, the hunting zone has been integrated into a comprehensive conservation strategy that treats the entire Pendjari complex as a single ecological unit. Anti-poaching patrols now extend throughout the zone, addressing previously unmonitored areas where illegal hunting was common. Revenue from controlled safari hunting is shared between conservation operations and adjacent communities, creating economic incentives for wildlife protection. Ecological corridors connecting the hunting zone to other protected areas in the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex are being strengthened to ensure long-term genetic connectivity for wide-ranging species like elephants and lions.