Avifaunal Settlement in a Nickel Mining Project Area in Western Côte d'Ivoire

An ornithological study was carried out in the nickel mining area of Foungbesso, Moyango and Viala (Biankouma-Touba) in Côte d’Ivoire, to characterize the initial state of the population of the avifauna prior to the implementation of the said project. In terrestrial environments, the method of listening points coupled with point indices of abundance was used to inventory birds. In aquatic environments, the main method used was a slow-moving itinerant route on foot around bodies of water, with stops to observe and count the birds. A total of 210 bird species belonging to 64 families from 19 orders were inventoried. Of these species, two (02) are recognized as bird species of global conservation concern, eight (08) are endemic to West Africa and two (02) others are species of restricted distribution. Relatively significant samples of species from the biomes characteristic of Côte d’Ivoire have been encountered in the area: 47 of the 185 species from the Guinean-Congolese forest biome and six of the 39 species from the Sudano-Guinean savannahs. From the point of view of the protection and sustainable management of biodiversity for present and future generations, this study is of vital interest. In fact, it enabled an inventory to be made of the birds in the area, which will enable appropriate conservation measures for special-status bird species to be included in the biodiversity management plan proposed at the end of the environmental and social impact study for the project.