Niger

Air and Téneré

WHS Score 3.14
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Votes for Air and Téneré

3.0

  • marcel staron

5.0

  • Michal Kozok

The Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves comprises a large protected area that includes the Saharan desert of Ténéré and the volcanic massif of the Aïr Mountains, a Sahelian ‘island’ within the desert.

The landscape with its blue marble mountains and sand dunes is of outstanding beauty. Due to its isolation, numerous Saharo-Sahelion wildlife species that are rare elsewhere have managed to survive in the Aïr. One-sixth of the reserve is a sanctuary for Addax, a critically endangered species of antelope.

Community Perspective: This site is rarely visited due to the safety situation and remote location.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Air and Téneré Natural Reserves (ID: 573)
Country
Niger
Status
Inscribed 1991 Site history
History of Air and Téneré
1991: Inscribed
Inscribed
1992: In Danger
region in which this site is situated has been affected by civil disturbance
In Danger
region in which this site is situated has been affected by civil disturbance Since 1992
WHS Type
Natural
Criteria
  • vii
  • ix
  • x
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Natural landscape: Desert
Travel Information
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Niger fully off-limits
One thousand visitors or fewer
One thousand visitors or fewer
DD :“Il n'y a pas eu de tourisme dans la zone en raison des …
Recent Connections
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Connections of Air and Téneré
Individual People
  • Ibn Battuta
    Possible: "We first came to the country of Air, a land rich in pasture. People buy sheep from the Berbers there and cut their meat into strips, which they dry. "
Geography
  • Sahel
    The Aïr constitutes a Sahelian enclave surrounded by a Saharian desert (AB ev)
  • Territorial Highest points
    Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès (2,022m): the highest mountain in Niger
  • Sahara
    "The Aïr constitutes a Sahelian enclave surrounded by a Saharian desert" (OUV)
Trivia
History
  • Songhai Empire
    Became the furthest northern outpost of the Songhai Empire in the early 16th century - until recaptured by the Tuareg later in the century
  • Neolithic age
    Palaeolithic and Neolithic archaeological sites are found at many locations in the reserve, as are rock engraving sites. (unesco website)
Ecology
  • Strict Nature Reserve
    Partly: Sanctuaire des Addax (visitor access unknown)
  • Critically endangered fauna species
    Dama gazelle (100-200 extant individuals worldwide), Northwest African cheetah

    See www.iucnredlist.org

  • Bird Migrations
    The massif of the Aïr also constitutes a transit zone for a large number of afrotropical and palaearctic migratory birds. (unesco website)
  • Dunes
    The "live dunes" of the Ténéré are an example of erosion under way the landscape is rapidly modified on a geological time scale by the displacement and deposition of sand (AB ev)
  • Ratites
    common ostrich
  • Ergs
    "The "live dunes" of the Téneré are an example of erosion under way the landscape is rapidly modified on a geological time scale by the displacement and deposition of sand" (IUCN eval). There is no Nom File but the actual word is applied on the Site's UNESCO page with a photo of "A dune sea (Erg) between Fachi and Bilma."
  • Hyper-arid
    Ténéré (desert environment OUV): "The climate is hyper-arid, extremely hot, sunny and dry year-round and there is virtually no plant life." (wiki)
  • Yardangs
  • Multiple biogeographic realms
    At the junction of Palaearctic and Afrotropical realms
Damaged
  • Poaching
    The most noticeable problem is poaching of gazelles and ostriches within the reserve by military personnel (AB ev) / Poaching continues to strongly affect the site due to insufficient or lack of control linked to the large area of ​​the property. Illegal hunting has decimated African ostrich populations in Africa North, addax and dama gazelle during the last years but it now threatens other mammals. Dorcas gazelles, Barbary sheep and Nubian and Arabian bustards are the species currently affected by poaching. (IUCN)
World Heritage Process
Human Activity
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Proterozoic
    La zone du socle précambrien de l'Aïr est composée de dépôts de roches sédimentaires plissées et métamorphisées (gneiss, schistes) et de roches volcaniques datant du Protérozoïque inférieur. (wiki fr)
Visiting conditions
  • Red Zone Travel Advisory
    Niger fully off-limits
  • One thousand visitors or fewer
    DD :“Il n'y a pas eu de tourisme dans la zone en raison des problčmes d'insécurité jusqu'en 2013. Par la suite, il y a eu quelques petites excursions organisées par des opérateurs locaux, mais pas de maničre officielle”
WHS Names
  • Named after a Mountain
    "The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif (Tamashek: Ayăr; Hausa: Eastern Azbin, Western Abzin) is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion, they rise to more than 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and extend over 84,000 km2 (32,000 sq mi)" (Wiki)
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First published: 18/01/19.

Michal Kozok

Air And Téneré

Air and Téneré (Inscribed)

Photo in the Public Domain

Amazing isolated rock formations filled with send. And no tourists as all depends on Tuareg activities in the region. 

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