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Good practice Imported

Bangr-Wéoogo Urban Park — A 265-Hectare Sahelian Forest Refuge in Ouagadougou, Now Fraying from Neglect

Burkina Faso · Ouagadougou · See the Burkina Faso profile · See the Ouagadougou profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 89% 27/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Bangr-Wéoogo, a 265-hectare classified forest handed to Ouagadougou's municipal government in 2001, hosts 327 recorded plant species in the Sahelian capital, but a recent field report found its irrigation and cleaning services had lapsed and visits were falling.

327
Plant species recorded
30,000
Annual visits (2002) (2002)
300,000+
Annual visits (2013) (2013)
275
Current daily visits (recent)
Bangr-Wéoogo Urban Park — A 265-Hectare Sahelian Forest Refuge in Ouagadougou, Now Fraying from Neglect

Details

Promoter
Commune of Ouagadougou (formerly Ministère de l'Environnement, de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement)
Period
2001–ongoing
Keywords
urban forestry, biodiversity conservation, protected areas

Context

Bangr-Wéoogo ("forest of knowledge") is a 265-hectare classified forest in central Ouagadougou, originally managed as a protected forest under the Ministry of Environment and Water and Forests before being handed to the Commune of Ouagadougou in 2001 and reopened as an urban park.

Activities

A peer-reviewed phytosociological survey based on 227 vegetation relevés recorded 327 plant species across 11 distinct plant communities.

Results

Annual visits rose from roughly 30,000 in 2002 to more than 300,000 by 2013, but more recent reporting by leFaso.net found irrigation taps had stopped working, grasslands desiccated, litter accumulating, and daily visits fallen to an estimated 275.

Conclusions

Formal classified-forest status has not guaranteed consistent day-to-day management or funding — an honest sign of institutional neglect rather than success.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Forest under formal protection status since the colonial era; municipal park management since 2001.
Staffing & skills
Commune of Ouagadougou municipal management (formerly Ministry of Environment and Water and Forests)

Conditions for success

  • Formal classified-forest legal status
  • Handover to municipal government enabling public park use

Common failure modes

  • Lapsed irrigation and cleaning services
  • Declining visitor numbers due to neglect
  • No dedicated maintenance funding sustained after handover

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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