Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information See Box and Table 3 for key species. A total of 314 bird species have been reported to occur in Mole, the largest number of species reported for any site in the country.

Site description Mole National Park lies c.146 km north-west of Tamale. The terrain is undulating with low scarps. The vegetation is predominantly open Guinea Savanna woodland with an average tree height of 11 m and individuals reaching up to 22 m. Common tree species include Isoberlinia doka, Butyrospermum paradoxum, Burkea africana, Combretum spp. and Terminalia avicenniodes. Watercourses are lined with species-rich riparian forest, with a dense undergrowth and a closed canopy, from which emergents reach 38 m. There are also areas of grassland and swamps in the flood-plain of rivers and around water-holes.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Mole	National Park	484,040	protected area contains site	484,000

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity Some 90 mammal species have been recorded, including Loxodonta africana africana (EN), Panthera leo (VU) and Colobus polykomos (LR/nt). Four plant taxa Aneilema setiferum var. pallidiciliatum, Gongronema obscurum, Kyllinga echinata and Rhinopterys angustifolia are considered endemic to the area.

Management considerations The park was established as a game reserve in 1958 and upgraded to a National Park in 1971. Poaching for bush-meat is a serious problem. Improper fire management is also an issue of concern: fires started by poachers inside the park and others originating from outside result in the almost complete burning of the park every dry season. These factors, coupled with the general lack of community support for the protection of the park, threaten the the future of at least the large mammal species.

References Greig-Smith (1976), Grimes (1987), Rijksen et al. (1998), Schmitt and Adu-Nsiah (1993), Taylor and Macdonald (1978).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Mole National Park. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013

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