Digya National Park (24266)
Ghana, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2005

National site name: Digya National Park

Central coordinates: Latitude: 7.4167, Longitude: -0.2500

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 150 to 350

Area of KBA (km²): 2771.41217

Protected area coverage (%): 97.65

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The park protects the western shores of Lake Volta and the intervening country between the Sene and Obosum arms, which form the northern and southern boundaries respectively. Most of the level land is covered with various types of Sudanian woodland, but the south of the park is clearly in the forest/savanna transition zone. The riparian forests which lined the Volta in the past were flooded by the Akosombo Dam in 1964; the shores of the resulting lake are covered mainly by grass and sedges. The main forest remnants (of dry semi-evergreen forest) are to be found in the south-west, away from the Lake. Other important habitats present include laterite bovals ('bowals' in White 1983) and sandstone outcrops. The park is difficult of access and there are no roads.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)

Additional biodiversity: The potential total of regular species is estimated to be over 300, but much more work is needed. Species of interest include the warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus baeticatus found nesting on the northern lake-shore, a completely new population and a first for Ghana; the cisticola Cisticola eximius found in the same area represents the first mention in Ghana away from the coastal plains. Other species of interest are those from the northern savannas reaching their southern limits in Digya (e.g. Bubo lacteus, Galerida modesta), and some of the forest-edge birds in the south-west, such as the little-known Nigrita luteifrons, the owl Glaucidium capense, and the cuckoo Pachycoccyx audeberti which is very common Non-bird biodiversity: There is a small population of Trichechus senegalensis (VU) along the lake-shore, as well as Hippopotamus amphibius. The south-west is especially rich in large mammals, including Loxodonta africana (EN), and several forest monkeys are apparently surviving in small forest patches (e.g. Colobus vellerosus VU, Procolobus verus LR/nt, Cercocebus atys LR/nt).

Habitats

Land use: nature conservation and research

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	90
Wetlands(Inland)	5
Savanna	5

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main problem in Digya is that of late bush fires. It would seem desirable to protect at least the main patches of dry rain forest in the south-west from dangerous late fires. Improving the protection of fragile habitats through early burning would require more staff than is available at present and improved access. Basic bush roads could be built profitably in the more accessible south-west, away from rivers.

Additional information