Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. A total of 225 species have been recorded. Ceratogymna cylindricus has been recorded once or twice, but it is not thought that a breeding population remains. Large species such as hornbills are very scarce due to hunting, but despite this and the management practices to which the forest has been subject, the site still contains a wide range of forest species including some rarely recorded species such as Dryotriorchis spectabilis, Agapornis swinderniana and Batis occulta. Criniger olivaceus appears to be much more common here than in the more extensive and less disturbed forests of Taï National Park (IBA CI011).

Site description The site is located 55 km north of Abidjan and comprises two Forest Reserves, separated by the Abidjan–Agboville road and the railway line linking Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, but known collectively as Yapo. The area is largely flat, cut by a number of small streams with a few swampy areas, and is covered almost entirely by evergreen forest in which typical species include Diospyros spp., Dacryodes klaineana, Piptadeniastrum africanum, Heritiera utilis, Anopyxis klaineana and Scottellia chevalieri. Yapo was established as a Forest Reserve in 1930 and has been selectively managed since as an experimental site for the sustainable extraction of indigenous forest timber. Initially, mature specimens of non-commercial tree species were selectively poisoned (but not removed) over large areas and subsequently replanted with commercially valuable native species such as Khaya ivorensis. More recently, the selective poisoning has not been followed by replanting, but the forest left to regenerate in the hope that marketable species, released from competition, would put on extra growth. Selective logging recommenced in 1989; 400 ha have been planted with trials of exotic tree species. Average annual rainfall is 1,750 mm.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Yapo	Botanical Reserve	37,300	protected area contains site	18,062

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity None known to BirdLife International.

Management considerations There are few large mammals (or indeed large birds) as a consequence of widespread poaching. The suitability of the site for at least some of the forest bird species depends upon the continuance of the current, relatively benign forest management practices.

References Demey and Fishpool (1994).

Contribute  Please click here to help BirdLife conserve the world's birds - your data for this IBA and others are vital for helping protect the environment.

Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Yapo and Mambo Forest Reserves. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife