Located in a climate transition zone between the Sahel and the Sahara, the Gadabédji Total Wildlife Reserve (RTFG) represents, in part, the characteristic and important ecosystem of the Sahelo-Saharan biogeographical region. It reflects the interactions between natural resources and humans and still has significant potential for renewable natural resources that make the area a key to the conservation of biodiversity in the Sahelo-Saharan part of Niger. The RTFG is particularly important for the conservation of Saharan wildlife as it is an area rich in pasture and natural habitats for wildlife (ONG-AMAN Assistance, 2013). Home to migratory birds and several sedentary species such as the ostrich, the Gadabédji Total Wildlife Reserve was once populated by several species of gazelles, jackals and other large mammals such as the giraffe and the oryx that underpinned its creation. It is also located at the edge of the seasonal migration zones of the addax, rare wild animals that still inhabit the Ténéré Desert (Niger Fauna Corridors Project, 2012A).

The Gadabédji Total Wildlife Reserve is the only wildlife reserve in Niger and even in the Sahel, in the Pastoral Zone. As such, it constitutes a pastoral reserve for local communities but also for the populations of the regions of Tahoua, Zinder, Maradi and even Nigeria.

With an area of 76,000 hectares, the Gadabedji Total Wildlife Reserve (RTF/G) is located in the north of the Maradi Region in the Sahelian savannah zone of central Niger (figure 1). It is located between 7°01' and 7°09' east longitude and 14°59 and 15°72' north latitude. Its central geographic coordinates are N 15°08' E 07°11'. The RTFG is adjacent to the village of Gadabédji, the capital of the municipality. The RTFG is at a distance of about 75 km from Dakoro, its former head of department, and 50 km from Bermo, its new headquarters. The RTFG is limited to the north by the department of Ingal (Agadez Region), to the south by the rural communes of Bader Goula and Soly-Tagriss, to the east by the department of Tanout (Zinder Region) and to the west by the rural municipality of Bermo (UNDP, 2013).

Since July 2017, the RTFG has been designated by the International Coordination Council (CIC) of the UNESCO MAB Programme as a Gadabédji Biosphere Reserve (RBG) covering a total area of 1,413,625 ha.