The Bala Hippopotamus Pond Biosphere Reserve (RBMH), located in the Hauts-Bassins region, 60 km from Bobo-Dioulasso, was established in 1987 and comprises a mosaic of ecosystems: savannas, floodplains, forests and wetlands, also making it a RAMSAR site. This wildlife sanctuary is home to numerous notable species, including 11 mammal species, with a population of around fifty elephants and around sixty hippopotamuses, 34 fish species, and 300 bird species.
The RBMH’s resources attract growing interest from local populations, who have few alternative livelihood options. Indeed, poaching (mainly of small game), uncontrolled fishing (non-compliance with regulation mesh sizes), excessive logging, and land clearing for cash crops such as cotton, among other pressures, are undermining current efforts to preserve the Reserve. The site is also considered to hold worldwide scientific and tourism significance.
This project’s overall objective is to improve the reserve’s protection, which could be strengthened through the development of ecotourism activities directly benefiting local populations by generating income for them. To this end, it is carried out in partnership with the French NGO Tetraktys, specialised in green tourism development, and falls within the priority focus areas of the decentralised cooperation between the Hauts-Bassins Region and the Rhône-Alpes Region. Ecotourism potential appears significant, given the site’s proximity to Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second-largest city, 5 hours by road from Ouagadougou, a well-established tourist destination in the country.
