Niger, Tenere Desert. New growth in the Tenere Desert. This is the largest protected area in Africa, covering over 7.7 million hectares. It includes the volcanic massif of the Air Mountains, a Sahelian island isolated in climate, flora and fauna in the surrounding Saharan desert of T?n?r?. It contains an outstanding variety of landscapes, plant species and wild animals. One-sixth of the reserve is a sanctuary for addax. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991.