Diawling National Park, Protected wetland near Senegal River, Mauritania

Diawling National Park is a protected area in the lower Senegal River delta with saline floodplains, marsh pools, and sand dunes. It includes three coastal lagoons and a mangrove-fringed estuarine zone where water, plants, and land meet.

The lower delta's floodplains were among West Africa's richest wetlands until the 1970s droughts and the Diama (1985) and Manantali (1986) dams cut freshwater floods and dried the delta. IUCN recommended protection in 1989, and the park was created in 1991; it became a Ramsar site in 1994.

Local herders and fishermen use the park as a vital space for their daily work, maintaining practices passed down through generations. These activities shape how the landscape looks and functions for the communities who depend on it.

The area is primarily accessible for birdwatching and nature walks, as it is a sensitive ecosystem that needs protection. The best time to visit is during bird migration seasons when hundreds of species pass through and make the landscape come alive.

The last West African lion recorded in Diawling was shot in 1970, and the red-fronted gazelle was last seen in 1991. The African manatee, West African crocodile and hippopotamus disappeared after the Diama dam was built. Spotted hyenas, African wolves, warthogs, African wildcats, Cape hares and patas monkeys remain.