Wildlife of Togo

These mountains consist of plateaus separated by steep-sided valleys giving a rugged terrain.

To the south there are two seasons of rain, the first between April and July and the second between September and November, with an average rainfall of 1,000 to 1,400 mm (39 to 55 in).

The climate is humid for seven months of the year, but the dry desert winds of the harmattan blow from November to March, bringing cooler weather.

[2] Historically, throughout the continent of Africa, wildlife populations have been shrinking rapidly owing to habitat destruction, logging, civil wars, hunting, poaching, pollution, mining and other human activities.

[4] The problems in Togo have included destruction of native vegetation and the resulting loss of soil through erosion, the drying up of watercourses through damming and water extraction, pollution of various sorts and the increasing risk of floods and droughts due to climate change.

When these were established, the local population had not been consulted and did not understand why they should not continue utilizing natural resources in their traditional way, and during political turmoil in the 1990s, there were attacks against the protected areas accompanied by the mass-slaughter of animals, resulting in a major impact on the environment.

[9] The coastal zone consists of lagoons, creeks and ponds and the forest here is dominated by red and black mangroves.

[2] Mammals recorded in Kéran National Park in 2008 included the olive baboon, tantalus monkey, patas monkey, kob, waterbuck, red-flanked duiker, common duiker, African buffalo, hippopotamus, warthog, crested porcupine, striped ground squirrel and four-toed hedgehog.

[18] Additionally, ten species of amphibian occur in Togo, including three which are endemic to the country.