Muni-Pomadze Ramsar Site (6344)
Ghana, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2001

National site name: Muni-Pomadze Ramsar Site

Central coordinates: Latitude: 5.3167, Longitude: -0.6667

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 290

Area of KBA (km²): 40.63917

Protected area coverage (%): 21.67

KBA classification: Regional

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site is situated to the west of the coastal town of Winneba, approximately 55 km west of Accra. The northern part comprises two protected areas, Yenku A and B Forest Reserves, covering 10% of the site, while the traditional hunting areas of the Efutu people make up another 15%. Also included is the catchment of three seasonal streams, the Pratu, the Boaku and the Muni, which drain into Muni lagoon. This lagoon, its surrounding flood-plains and the adjacent sandy beach, constitute the southern part of the site. It is a shallow, saline, semi-closed, coastal lagoon, with a surface area of c.300 ha. Reports indicate that during the rains the lagoon fills up completely and spills over to flood the surrounding area about once every 10 years. At such times, the villagers dig a canal to open the entrance to the sea and the excess water is released.The catchment is a gentle undulating plain bordered to the north and the north-east by the Yenku Hills (290 m) and in the south-west by the Egyasimanku Hills (205 m). The hill-slopes facing the lagoon are fairly steep. The lagoon shoreline is covered with Sesuvium portulacastrum, Paspalum vaginatum and Sporolobus virginicus, successively, up the sides of the dunes. The dunes themselves are planted with coconut-palm Cocos nucifera. The vegetation in the northern part of the wetland includes mangroves, with Typha australis, Ludwigia erecta and other typical freshwater hydrophytes occurring further inland. The vegetation in the upland areas is dominated by grassland and thickets, a Eucalyptus plantation, as well as forest vegetation in various stages of maturity.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.

Additional biodiversity: See Box for key species. Forty-eight species of waterbird have been recorded at the site, the most abundant of which are Himantopus himantopus, Charadrius hiaticula, Tringa nebularia, Calidris ferruginea, Sterna hirundo, S. maxima, S. sandvicensis and Chlidonias niger. The terrestrial avifauna of the site numbers at least 114 species and includes Illadopsis puveli, the only site from which this species was recorded. Non-bird biodiversity: Three species of marine turtle Lepidochelys olivacea, Chelonia mydas and Dermochelys coriacea (all EN) are reported to nest on the beaches.

Delineation rationale: Type 2 marine IBA: non-breeding (coastal) congregations.

Habitats

Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | forestry | nature conservation and research | water management

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site was designated as a Ramsar Site in 1992 which includes the two Forest Reserves. The main threats in the upland area are hunting and habitat destruction through bush fires and extraction for fuelwood. The area is known as one of the most important sources of bush-meat in the country. The lagoon itself is heavily overfished.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing

Additional information