The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has removed Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park from its list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. The decision was made at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's meeting in New Delhi, India, this week. The removal comes after Senegal demonstrated significant progress in addressing threats to the park's biodiversity, the organization said.
"Monitoring of emblematic species has been stepped up… considerable resources have been allocated to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning, as well as to better organize the transhumance of livestock," UNESCO said.
Moreover, the international body noted that the West African country has also established a system to control pollution from mining operations.
UNESCO commended Senegal for its efforts to combat the invasive Mimosa pigra plant species, which had been negatively impacting the ecosystem of the iconic park, spanning over 913,000 hectares. The World Heritage Committee urged Senegal to continue its efforts in the coming years to ensure the long-term protection of Niokolo-Koba National Park, which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.