Zwedru (6460)
Liberia, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2018

National site name: Zwedru

Central coordinates: Latitude: 6.2833, Longitude: -8.2667

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 200 to 200

Area of KBA (km²): 644.58068

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site is located in central-eastern Liberia, north-west of the town of Zwedru. The Cavalla river, the international frontier with Côte d’Ivoire, forms the northern boundary to the site, which lies immediately west of the Cavally and Goin-Débé Forest Reserves IBA (CI008) in Côte d’Ivoire. The site includes the fragmented forest blocks that remain north of the road between the towns of Zwedru and Zlehtown and the Cavalla river, as far west as the point where its course turns northwards. The forests of this area, transitional between evergreen and semi-deciduous, are being destroyed by slash and burn agriculture. Further work is required to define site boundaries.

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 Tables 2 and 3 for key species. This site is the only one from which Phyllastrephus leucolepis is known. Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals recorded from the nearby Grebo National Forest, some or all of which may be expected to occur or to have occurred, include Loxodonta africana (EN), Pan troglodytes (EN), Colobus polykomos (LR/nt), Piliocolobus badius (LR/nt), Cercopithecus diana (VU), Hexaprotodon liberiensis (VU), Syncerus caffer (LR/cd), Cephalophus zebra (VU), C. jentinki (VU), C. sylvicultor (LR/nt), Tragelaphus euryceros (LR/nt) and Liberiictis kuhni (EN).

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | forestry | hunting

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	75
Artificial - Terrestrial	8
Unknown	16

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The forests are becoming increasingly fragmented and degraded as a result of clearance for agriculture. Other threats include commercial logging and hunting.

Additional information