Boi Tano Forest Reserve
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) may be present in Boi Tano Forest Reserve.
- No chimpanzees were recorded in the last survey.
- The chimpanzee population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 129 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are hunting and logging.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
Site characteristics
The reserve is located in southwestern Ghana, forming a continuous forest block with Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the northeast. It was declared a forest reserve in 1967 (Gatti 2009). The vegetation is mainly wet evergreen forest. Access to the reserve is difficult because of the many watercourses, with two main rivers, the Tano and the Bisao, crossing the reserve and resulting in much swamp habitat (BirdLife International 2022).
Table 1. Basic site information for Boi Tano Forest Reserve
Area | 129 km² |
Coordinates | 5.506396 N, -2.638998 W |
Designation | Forest Reserve |
Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest |
Ape status
During a rapid survey in 2009, no signs of chimpanzees were documented; however, hunters reported chimpanzee sightings and signs, and a population may still exist in the contact zone between Tano-Nimiri and Boi Tano (Gatti 2009).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Boi Tano Forest Reserve
Species | Year | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Encounter rate (nests/km) | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pan troglodytes verus | 2009 | 0 | Boi Tano Forest Reserve | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) | Gatti 2009 | survey effort: 11.55 km |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Boi Tano Forest Reserve
Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present, but threat severity unknown | There are a few authorised farms in the reserve (BirdLife International 2022). | Ongoing (2022) | |
3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | 1.385 hunting signs/km documented during a 2009 survey (Gatti 2009). | High abundance of hunting signs and low encounter of mammal species, especially large (Gatti 2009). | Ongoing (2009) |
5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity unknown | The entire reserve was under logging concession prior to its designation as a reserve in 1967; logging was last recorded in 1980 (BirdLife International 2022). The southern part of the reserve has been more heavily logged (Gatti 2009). | Ongoing (2022) | ||
6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
7. Natural system modifications | Unknown | ||||
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
9. Pollution | Unknown | ||||
10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities in Boi Tano Forest Reserve
Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
---|---|---|---|
1. Residential & commercial development | Not reported | ||
2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Not reported | ||
3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||
4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||
5. Biological resource use | Not reported | ||
6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Not reported | ||
7. Natural system modifications | Not reported | ||
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Not reported | ||
9. Pollution | Not reported | ||
10. Education & Awareness | Not reported | ||
11. Habitat Protection | Not reported | ||
12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Boi Tano Forest Reserve
Challenge | Source |
---|---|
Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Boi Tano Forest Reserve
Behavior | Source |
---|---|
Not reported |
External links
References
BirdLife International (2022) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Boin Tano Forest Reserve. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 15/03/2022.
Gatti, S. (2009). Mammal surveys and capacity building for the Wildlife Wood Project - Ghana. Unpublished report to the WWP-Ghana.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 18/03/2022