Ebi River Shelterbelt Forest Reserve (6321)
Ghana, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Ebi River Shelterbelt Forest Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 5.1167, Longitude: -2.3667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 15 to 90
Area of KBA (km2): 24.69792
Protected area coverage (%): 100.01
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Ebi River Shelterbelt Forest Reserve lies to the south of the Nwini river and west of Ankobra river and is c.19 km from the coast. The terrain is gently undulating and the reserve is crossed by the Ebi and Fiakpole rivers. The altitude varies from 15–60 m, although Bedoako hill, in the extreme south-east, rises to over 90 m. The soil is mainly loamy clay, but there is gravel in some areas. The vegetation is wet evergreen forest. A large part of the reserve (2,238 ha) is under timber concessions. There are records of logging from 1978–1989 and in several areas of its western part logging was severe.
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. The site is one of the four at which Tigriornis leucolophus was recorded. Non-bird biodiversity: Tragelaphus euryceros (LR/nt) is reported to occur.
Habitats
Land use: forestry | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 28 | |
| Unknown | 47 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 23 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Ownership of the forest lies with the paramount stool of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area. The Ebi Shelterbelt was demarcated and designated as a Forest Reserve in 1939 to ‘act as shelterbelt and to check the spread of grass conditions’. The boundaries were sited to exclude farms at the time of reservation, but the Nkrofo to Adubrim footpath runs through the reserve.
Additional information
References: Hawthorne and Abu-Juam (1995), Holbech (1996).