Protected Areas in Mauritania
According to the Draft Environmental Report on Mauritania (Unesco, 1979), the Nature Protections Service within the Ministry of Rural Development (Ministère du développement rural) is responsible for the conservation of waters and forests and the protection of wildlife and control of hunting. The Committee for Conservation and Nature Protection (Comité pour la protection et la conservation de la nature) is under the aegis of the Ministry of Rural Development.
The first protected area, El-Aguer Faunal Reserve, was created in 1937. At the time, the area contained an important fauna: until 1920, 400 elephants inhabited the area but the introduction of fire-arms led to their extermination by 1964. Banc d'Arguin National Park was created in 1976, and in 1991, after approximately 10 years of preparatory studies, the second national park, Diawling, was created. Situated on the right bank of the Senegal River opposite Djoudj National Park in Senegal, Diawling is designed to ensure the conservation of a significant part of the delta in the face of considerable alterations brought about through the Senegal River Basin Development Programme.
Sources: UNEP-WCMC, Official Web Site of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
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