As a wetland in an otherwise arid environment, the area surrounding Lake Tabalak plays a critical role in maintaining biodiversity. It is home to many species of flora and fauna, most notably as a key habitat for hundreds of migratory birds of the Western Palearctic, such as waders, limicolines, and ducks. It is also an important transition area for the black crowned crane (Blearica pavonina), a species that is rare even in other parts of the country and which is now endangered largely due to habitat loss. The aquatic fauna is composed of crustaceans, batrachians (salamanders, frogs), and fish, including Clarias lasera, Lates nilotica and Tilapia niloticus.

Mammals in this area mainly comprise small rodents such as rats, squirrels, hedgehogs, mice, and jerboas. The local flora mainly comprises grassy species such as Cenchrus bifloris, Aristida spp, Echinochloa spp, Solanum nigrum, Brachiaria spp, Typha australis, as well as exotic tree species including Acacia nilotica, Acacia raddiana, Bauhinia rufescens, Bauhinia reticulatum, Acacia albida, Balanites aegyptiaca, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, and Prosopis juliflora, among others. Deforestation to meet local energy needs, overgrazing by livestock, and land clearance for agriculture, combined with the incidence of drought, is leading to erosion, degradation of soil quality, and the loss of biodiversity in the region.

The landscape is characterized by zones of plateaus, hollows, gentle slopes (glacis), and sand dunes. The plateaus are composed of lateritic soils, which are mainly used for grazing, forestry and exploitation of the lateritic soil itself due to its high content of clay, minerals and ores. Due to strong wind erosion, the sharp sand dunes in the landscape lack woody vegetation, but offer a variety of grassy species that are favored by livestock. The zone between the sand dunes and the valley is referred to as the glacis, on which a number of tree species are found. This zone has been experiencing uncontrolled exploitation of woody vegetation, mainly for firewood and saw logs for local communities. Finally, the zone of hollows comprises the lake, the area directly surrounding the lake, as well as the koris (river valleys, carrying runoff water to the lake). This is the main area used for irrigated farming, fishing and pasture in the target landscape.

Rainfed agriculture is less developed in the target landscape due to low precipitation levels, particularly in recent years. However, agriculture remains the main economic activity. During the wet season, rainfed crops are grown on dune fields, with farmers each cultivating around 6 ha of millet, sorghum and black-eyed peas, which are the primary food crops in the region. As yields from rainfed agriculture barely cover one month of the annual needs of a household, local communities resort to irrigated agriculture from October to April. Farmers tend to cultivate less than 1 ha each. Using concrete wells and catch basins or channels, land is irrigated using water directly from the lake. Crops include sweet potatoes, onions, wheat, capsicum, cassava, garlic, zucchinis, tomatoes, apples, cauliflower, lettuce, peanuts, black-eyed peas, eggplants and peppers. Considering the unpredictability of rainfall, irrigated market gardening is the safest and most common form of agriculture. The use of chemical fertilizers is prohibited by the government. According to the Communal Director of Agriculture, an area of about 954 ha is exploited for market gardening.

Livestock breeding constitutes the second predominant economic activity after crop agriculture in the target landscape, representing an important source of income for local communities. The basin is home to a wide variety of livestock including cattle, goats, sheep, camels, horses, and donkeys. Before the formation of the lake, it was a migratory herding point and continues to be a preferred destination for migratory herders as well as the indigenous population. Similarly, fishing has become a more common practice through increased support from external parties and the local population. The area now also attracts fishermen from across the Tahoua region and even from abroad.