The biological value of the Niokolo Badiar Transboundary Park, which straddles Senegal and the Koundara prefecture in the Republic of Guinea, of the N'Dama and South Badiar Classified Forests of the Koundara prefecture, was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1981. UNESCO thus registers the Senegalese part as a World Heritage and Biosphere Reserve.
The Veterinary Without Borders (VSF) project based in Koundara, has been working since August 1994 for the development of the peripheral zone of the Badiar National Park, as part of the Regional Program for the Management of Watersheds in Upper Gambia. This program is expected to play a role in the strategy to combat desertification in West Africa and in the conservation of biodiversity, as well as in the regulation of the Gambia River regime.