How protected are protected areas? What monitoring birds tells us about park management in Togo, West Africa

Lisa Lock
scientific editor

Robert Egan
associate editor

Protected areas are crucial for wildlife conservation, but many are under unprecedented pressure associated with exponential human population growth in West Africa. In Togo, two national parks that previously hosted iconic African wildlife have been almost by human activities related to domestic political conflicts. However, Togo's largest protected area, Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, had managed to escape this fate—until now.
Prior to 1990, Fazao-Malfakassa National Park was uninhabited and had around a dozen villages in its vicinity. However, subsequent immigration and proliferation of settlements inside and around the park boundaries resulted in the number of villages more than tripling within two decades. As a result, the park has come under increasing pressure associated with human activities.
Many wildlife species historically present in Togo now survive only in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, including both and . Starting in 1990, a based in Switzerland protected and managed the park, but since 2015, the park has been managed by the state. Unfortunately, this transition has resulted in , according to . However, few scientific studies have investigated wildlife in the park to date.
We investigated the conservation status of Fazao-Malfakassa National Park using birds as . Working with an international team including students and faculty at the University of Lomé, Togo, we conducted 90 days of bird surveys in the park between 2022 and 2024. Our research is in the journal Land.
Previous bird surveys documented 199 species in the park, including one new species for Togo, the . We documented a total of 240 bird species, including 34 species new to the park. Exciting discoveries included the first record of in Togo, and the first sighting of the since 1990.

Unfortunately, we also found abundant evidence that Fazao-Malfakassa National Park's exceptional biodiversity has come under increasing assault. The apparent extirpation of endangered species, including the , and declines of the endangered and , indicate that current conservation strategies are failing to adequately protect wildlife in the park. Moreover, we were unable to document 91 bird species previously reported for the park, suggesting a significant decline in bird species compared to historical records.
Road building, commercial crop plantations, poaching, logging, cattle grazing, and the widespread destruction of trees to harvest honey are among the major drivers of wildlife declines. Left unchecked, such activities will result in ongoing extinctions in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, despite its official protection. In many areas where we made sightings of rare birds, we also witnessed evidence of intensive poaching and extensive burning by poachers to clear vegetation. No place appears to be safe from illegal actors, as there were signs of their presence everywhere we visited, including in the heart of the park.
The declines in birds of prey and apex scavengers we found are alarming, as there is a lucrative regional black market , eagles, owls, and other wildlife for belief-based use in regional and "" markets. These declines also mirror declines of mammals reported by park rangers, many of whom have witnessed the populations in the park since 2015. Areas where tourist safaris took place years ago are now virtually empty of large mammals, and the few mammals we encountered in our surveys fled in terror at our approach.
A recent in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park used camera traps to identify several new species for the park, including the , and resulted in the first photo of , one of the world's most elusive mammals, in the wild. Fortunately, endangered and critically endangered mammals including and , which we observed during our fieldwork, also survive in the park. However, no recent evidence has been found of , , and many other mammal species that previously called Togo home.

Moreover, the recent in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park found only 27 of the 52 mammals previously documented in the park, suggesting a ~48% decline of mammal species richness in the park compared with historical records.
One of many consequences of wildlife declines is that there is less prey for predators and scavengers. Fewer mammals means less food for raptors such as eagles, hawks, and vultures, and other large birds such as the , a once-widespread bird currently on the brink of extinction in Togo, which we were lucky to observe!
Park rangers are on the front lines of defense for wildlife in vulnerable protected areas. However, at the time of our surveys, most rangers in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park did not have access to critical equipment or other support necessary for effective patrols, including patrol vehicles, fuel, and supplies.
Moreover, some attempts at law enforcement by rangers are undermined by powerful actors acting on behalf of offenders due to . Rangers are thus effectively discouraged from protecting the park. As a result, much of the park is being left to the mercy of poachers, illegal charcoal producers, cattle herders, and others whose activities are collectively destroying its wildlife, trees, and habitat.
Fazao-Malfakassa National Park represents a last refuge in Togo for many iconic and endangered species, emphasizing the park's national and international importance. Our findings demonstrate both that the park's avifauna is richer than previously realized, but also highly threatened. Currently, illegal actors exploiting the park's resources for private, short-term economic gain are placing Togo's last large national park in peril, as demonstrated by extirpations and declines of large raptors and 91 "missing" bird species.
Funding from the , , and the offers a lifeline of support to park management in the form of millions of U.S. dollars. It is urgent that such much-needed support reach the rangers who protect the park. We also recommend returning Fazao-Malfakassa National Park to private management to ease the burden on the state, improve the situation of the rangers, and enhance the survival prospects of Togo's magnificent natural heritage.
This story is part of , where researchers can report findings from their published research articles. for information about Science X Dialog and how to participate.
More information: Lin-Ernni Mikégraba Kaboumba et al, Assessing Threats to Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, Togo, Using Birds as Indicators of Biodiversity Conservation, Land (2025).
Nico Arcilla directs the International Bird Conservation Partnership (IBCP), whose mission is to foster and support research, outreach, and partnerships to advance bird conservation; she earned her PhD at the University of Georgia, USA. Lin-Ernni Mikégraba Kaboumba is a Togolese ornithologist and IBCP conservation scientist whose investigation of birds in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park contributed to his MSc at the University of Lomé, Togo.