Bonga forest (6284)
Ethiopia, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Bonga forest
Central coordinates: Latitude: 7.2100, Longitude: 36.2900
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1000 to 3400
Area of KBA (km2): 1648.715445
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD’
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
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) KBA identified in the process of compiling the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the East Afromontane Hotspot. Species taxonomy and threat category was based on IUCN Red List 2010-4. The site holds a significant population of the following plant species which, although not yet Red-List-assessed at the global level, are thought likely to be categorised as globally threatened once assessed (thus meeting the KBA Vulnerability criterion), based on existing regional or national Red List assessments (species also considered as site-endemic are tagged with Irr1 [KBA Irreplaceability 1 criterion]): Dorstenia soerensenii, Justicia bizunesiae, Rinorea friisii, Scadoxus nutans, Sesbania melanocaulis, Vepris dainellii. The forest coffee, Coffea arabica, of Bonga is genetically important, as it was from this area, near Wushwush, that the first plants with natural resistance to coffee berry disease were identified. Tree-ferns Cyathea manniana are known from only a few locations in Ethiopia; they require well-shaded and moist conditions to grow and would disappear if the forest were destroyed.
Delineation rationale: 2013-07-10 (BL Secretariat): following CEPF East Afromontane ecosystem profiling process, the reported IBA area of 161423 ha has been changed to 160000 ha (as measured in GIS from latest boundary polygon, rounded to nearest 10%).
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 37 | |
| Forest | 61 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 2 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations | Agro-industry plantations | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |