Boin River Forest Reserve (6315)
Ghana, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Boin River Forest Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 5.7333, Longitude: -2.9333
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 75 to 180
Area of KBA (km2): 302.87111
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Boin River Forest Reserve is situated about 5 km from Enchi town and extends to the international frontier with Côte d’Ivoire in the west. The reserve lies close to the Enchi–Yakasi and Enchi–Nyame Bekyere roads. The site is hilly with swamps in the valleys. The vegetation is transitional between moist evergreen and wet evergreen forest and is mostly undisturbed (about two-thirds of the reserve is unlogged), with a few farms, the extent of which is insignificant. The north-eastern portion was logged between 1964 and 1973.
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 CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Guinea Forests of West Africa Hotspot (2015). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat status follow the 2013 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. This is one of four sites where Glaucidium tephronotum was recorded. Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals include Tragelaphus euryceros (LR/nt), Pan troglodytes (EN), as well as about 50 Loxodonta africana cyclotis (EN). Procolobus badius waldroni (CR) used to occur.
Habitats
Land use: forestry | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 89 | |
| Unknown | 6 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 3 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site was designated a Forest Reserve in 1932 and is one of the few reserves with significant areas of intact primary forest (Condition 2, GHI 93). Like most Forest Reserves in Ghana, there is very little, if any, faunal protection; poaching is widespread. The site certainly merits further studies and better protection status.
Additional information
References: Hawthorne and Abu-Juam (1995), Holbech (1996), Oates et al. (1997).