Lake Piso (Cape Mount) (6459)
Liberia, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Lake Piso (Cape Mount)
Central coordinates: Latitude: 6.7500, Longitude: -11.3500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 322
Area of KBA (km2): 248.59356
Protected area coverage (%): 96.66
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The proposed Nature Reserve of Cape Mount lies on the coast of Liberia, to the north-east of Monrovia at the end of a spit of land which separates the lake from the Atlantic. The town of Robertsport lies at the tip of this spit. The site includes part of the lagoon, mangroves, rocky and sandy shorelines together with a small area of lowland forest. The site lies within Liberia’s maximum rainfall zone and receives up to 6,000 mm annually.
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. 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 Table 3 for key species. In addition, the Near Threatened and restricted-range Lamprotornis cupreocauda has been recorded (see Table 2). The site holds a number of species restricted to the Guinea–Congo Forests biome that are typical of coastal habitats, un- or under-represented elsewhere. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Habitats
Land use: forestry
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 15 | |
| Unknown | 31 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 30 | |
| Forest | 22 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 2 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The area was proposed as a Nature Reserve in 1983. The forest areas are likely to be threatened by timber extraction for construction and by the collection of fuelwood. There are numbers of refugees in the area.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Agro-industry farming | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Unspecified species | Only in the future |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Gatter (1988, 1997).