| Binder-Léré Faunal Reserve | |
| Iucn Category: | IV |
| Map: | Chad |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Location: | Mayo-Kébbi, Chad |
| Nearest City: | Mayo-Kébbi, Chad |
| Coordinates: | 9.6666°N 14.4666°W |
| Area: | 1350km2 |
| Established: | 1974 |
Binder-Léré Faunal Reserve, in south-west Chad, bordering Cameroon, was established in 1974, covering an area of 1350km2.[1] It has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2005.
The terrain, which lies in an elevation range of 400m-500mm (1,300feet-1,600feetm), has rock exposures and eroded soils. It forms a transition zone between open forest and savanna woodland. The park is drained by the Mayo-Kébbi River flowing from east to west and Gauthiot Falls lies here. On the western part of the reserve there are the Léré Lake and Tréné Lake through which the Mayo-Kébbi flows. The river runs in a westerly direction, enters Cameroon, then Nigeria and finally debouches into the Niger River system.
Léré Lake has a length of 14.5km (09miles) with a width of 4km (02miles). Tréné Lake has a length of 6km (04miles) and width of 2km (01miles). The Touboiris marsh and Loké marsh are close to the headwaters of the Mayo-Kébbi River which is a plain area but outside the limits of the reserve. The mean annual incidence of rainfall in the reserve ranges between 800mm950mm.
Vegetation consists of species of leguminous tree species and Combretum woodland in the southern and northern zones of the reserve. Terminalia and Boswellia genera are the dominant plants.
Migrant Palearctic waterbirds are recorded in Léré Lake and Tréné Lake. Lesser kestrel and two species of the Sahel biome are reported. The reserve has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of red-throated bee-eaters, Senegal eremomelas, Gambaga flycatchers, chestnut-crowned sparrow-weavers, black-rumped waxbills and Sahel bush sparrows.[2]
West African manatees are found in good numbers; 100 were reported in the 1980s. However, poaching by hunters from Cameroon is very extensive and a wildlife monitoring system with village guards has been instituted.