Data Zone
Country/territory: Congo
IBA criteria met: A1, A3 (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 136,000 hectares (1,360.00 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2001 | not assessed | high | low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
The site embraces a section of the Mayombe massif, which covers c.11,000 km² in Congo, in an area of rather steep hills. The main forest-type is evergreen or semi-evergreen rainforest with a very mixed canopy. There is some monodominant Gilbertiodendron dewevrei forest on the eastern side of the reserve, near the ecotone with the Niari savannas, and some small grassy clearings (savanes incluses), mainly in the eastern section. The southern edge of the reserve coincides with the main road and, for part of its length, the railway line connecting Brazzaville to Pointe-Noire, along which lie several large settlements (in 1987 the three main villages of Mvouti, Mpounga and Les Saras numbered 7,000 inhabitants). There is also a road running into the reserve to the villages of Dimonika and Makaba. Various stages of forest regrowth and young Musanga forest are encountered in the vicinity of villages and associated plantations of cassava and banana.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 2 for key species. A total of 275 species (of which 266 are likely to breed) has been recorded in this part of the Mayombe, including rare or little-known species such as Bubo shelleyi. This figure is based on rather short visits and is certainly incomplete. Of special interest is the existence of a small relict population of two montane species in the region of Mont Mbamba at an altitude of 500–600 m, Dryoscopus angolensis and Zoothera crossleyi. This area in particular deserves further investigation.
Non-bird biodiversity: Large mammals such as Loxodonta africana (EN), Syncerus caffer nanus (LR/cd), Mandrillus sphinx (LR/nt) and small arboreal monkeys have been largely hunted out, but there are still good numbers of Gorilla gorilla (EN) and Pan troglodytes (EN).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dimonika Biosphere Reserve (Congo). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dimonika-biosphere-reserve-iba-congo on 22/12/2024.