A checklist of vascular plants of the W National Park in Burkina Faso, including the adjacent hunting zones of Tapoa-Djerma and Kondio

BACKGROUND: The W National Park and its two hunting zones represent a unique ecosystem in Burkina Faso for biodiversity conservation. This study aims at providing a detailed view of the current state of the floristic diversity as a baseline for future projects aiming at protecting and managing its resources. We combined intensive inventories and distribution records from vegetation plots, photo records and herbarium collections. NEW INFORMATION: This is the first comprehensive checklist of vascular plants of the Burkina Faso part of the transborder W National Park. With 721 documented species including 19 species new to Burkina Faso, the Burkina Faso part of the W National Park is, so far, the nature reserve with most plant species in Burkina Faso. To a large extent, this may be assigned to its high habitat diversity and moderate degree of disturbance, but also to a relatively large area within an even larger complex of neighbouring protected areas, as well as comprehensive spatial, ecological and seasonal sampling efforts. However, as a World Heritage Site and regarding the current general context of insecurity, the W National Park and the entire WAP Complex require more international attention in order to ensure its conservation.