Sudanian Savanna

A broad belt of tropical grassland, woodland, and savanna stretching across Africa between the Sahel and the wetter Guinean forests. Its seasonal rainfall supports a mosaic of open grassland and tree cover.

Sahel: A semiarid ecological and climatic transition zone south of the Sahara Desert. Its drier conditions form the northern boundary of the Sudanian Savanna.
Agroforestry: Land use that deliberately combines trees with crops or livestock. Farmers use tree cover to support crops and livestock in seasonal climates.
W National Park: A transboundary protected area spanning parts of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Its Sudanian savannas and floodplains illustrate the region’s ecological range.
Desertification: Land degradation in dry regions caused by climatic variation and human activities. Increasing aridity and land pressure can degrade savanna soils and vegetation.
Guinean Forests: A belt of tropical moist forests along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. These wetter forests mark the southern transition from savanna.
Millet: A group of small-seeded cereal crops adapted to warm, often dry conditions. Millet is a major food crop across the region’s drier farming zones.
Pendjari National Park: A protected area in northern Benin known for savanna wildlife and the Atakora foothills. It preserves a representative Sudanian landscape with abundant large mammals.
Deforestation: The lasting removal of forest or woodland cover from an area. Fuelwood collection and agricultural expansion reduce tree cover in parts of the belt.
Tropical savanna climate: A tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons and warm temperatures throughout the year. Its seasonal rainfall pattern underlies the region’s characteristic vegetation.
Sorghum: A heat-tolerant cereal crop cultivated for grain, forage, and other uses. Its drought tolerance suits the belt’s variable rainy seasons.

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