Gabou is a large wetland depression, about 100 ha and at an altitude of 300m. It is approximately 110 km south-west of the town of Tidjikja, in the far west of the Tagant on the border with the Brakna. Its size varies from year to year depending on the volume of rainfall received by the watershed. The vegetation typical of this arid area and includes Acacia raddiana, A. ehrenbergiana, Capparis decidua, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Maerua crassifolia, Hyoscyamus muticus, Tamarix sp., Salvadora persica, Balanites aegyptiaca, Panicum turgidum and Cenchrus biflorus.

Situated at the southern end of the Sahara, the wetland provides one of the first sources of water and rest for birds crossing the desert. In the years it receives adequate rainfall, Gabou is an important wetland habitat for Afrotropical and Palearctic waterbirds. Of the northern migrants, Ruff Philomachus pugnax (a maximum of 21,000), Garganey Anas querquedula (14,000) and Northern Pintail Anas acuta (6,000) are the most numerous, while of the Afrotropical birds, White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata (8,000), Fulvous Whistling Duck D. bicolor (600), Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus (800) and Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis (1,200) are reported.

From the satellite telemetry study, we have learnt that seasonal wetlands such as Gabou along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert are of extreme importance for the Purple Herons that are making the crossing the desert and may provide the first crucial stops with water and food.

More information on the use of these wetlands by the people living in the area is needed.