Bui National Park (6335)
Ghana, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Bui National Park
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.4621, Longitude: -2.3848
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 120 to 500
Area of KBA (km2): 1885.17516
Protected area coverage (%): 97.77
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Bui National Park is situated in the centre-west of the country, against the international frontier with Côte d’Ivoire, and is bisected by the Black Volta river which separates the northern third, in the Northern Region, from the southern sector, in the Brong-Ahafo Region. The southern section is accessible from the Wenchi–Menji–Bongase road, whilst the northern sector is reached from the Wenchi–Bamboi–Wa road. The vegetation of both sectors is predominantly savanna woodland, with areas of grassland and patches of riparian forest along the Black Volta river and other small rivers in the park. These riverine forests are the best-preserved such forests remaining along the Black Volta and, probably, the only such forest left in the entire Volta system. Common tree species include Butyrospermum paradoxum, Parkia clappertoniana, Daniella oliveri and Isoberlina doka with the last three species dominant in savanna woodland. The park is, perhaps, the least developed in Ghana, although it has been in existence for three decades.
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: See Box and Table 3 for key species. A total of 94 species were recorded in a two-week survey, including 10 species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome; see Table 3. Bucorvus abyssinicus and Eupodotis senegalensis occur in the Park. Non-bird biodiversity: Two threatened species of crocodile, Osteolaemus tetraspis (VU) and Crocodylus cataphractus (DD), occur in the Black Volta. The park is particularly noted for the resident population of Hippopotamus amphibius and contains the largest of the only two viable populations in Ghana.
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 98 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The park is sometimes used illegally by Fulani herdsmen bringing in cattle from the neighbouring countries to the north, particularly Burkina Faso. The proposed Bui Dam project is a serious potential threat, since it could result in flooding of most of the protected area and the entire riverine forest system.
Additional information
References: Bennet and Basuglo (1998).