Yoyo River Forest Reserve
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) may be present in Yoyo River Forest Reserve.
- No chimpanzees were recorded in the last survey.
- The chimpanzee population trend is decreasing.
- The site has a total size of 236 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are hunting and logging.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
Site characteristics
Yoyo River Forest Reserve is located in southwestern Ghana, north of the town Enchi. The reserve is contiguous with Tano-Anwia and Tano-Ehuro Forest Reserves. Yoyo is also connected to Boin River Forest Reserve by a narrow strip of forest (BirdLife International 2022). The reserve was created in 1932 (Gatti 2009). The area is drained by the Yoyo river and several other streams whose valleys become swampy during the wet season (BirdLife International 2022). The site has been an Important Bird Area since 2001 (BirdLife International 2022).
Table 1. Basic site information for Yoyo River Forest Reserve
Area | 236 km² |
Coordinates | 5.960077 N, -2.795357 W |
Designation | Forest Reserve |
Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest |
Ape status
A rapid survey was conducted at the site in 2009 in the context of the Wildlife Wood Project in Ghana, which aims to assist logging companies in improving wildlife management in concession areas (Gatti 2009). No signs of chimpanzees were recorded.
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Yoyo River 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 | Yoyo River Forest Reserve | Index survey (reconnaissance walk) | Gatti 2009 | survey effort: 22.63 km |
Threats
Table 3. Threats to apes in Yoyo River Forest Reserve
Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Unknown | ||||
3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | 5.214 hunting signs/km recorded in a 2009 survey (Gatti 2009). | High hunting pressure (Gatti 2009). | Ongoing (2009) |
5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Unknown whether the threat category is present | The reserve was formerly under two timber concessions and the eastern and western parts were logged between 1962 and 1979 (BirdLife International 2022). Concessions within the reserve were acquired by SAX in 1993, and logging has taken place in selected compartments at least as early as 1999 (Gatti 2009). | Unknown | ||
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 Yoyo River 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 Yoyo River Forest Reserve
Challenge | Source |
---|---|
Not reported |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Yoyo River Forest Reserve
Behavior | Source |
---|---|
Not reported |
External links
References
BirdLife International (2022) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Yoyo River 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