SL006
Kangari Hills Non-hunting Forest Reserve


Country/territory: Sierra Leone

IBA criteria met: A1, A2, A3 (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 8,573 hectares (85.73 km2)

Conservation Society of Sierra Leone
IBA conservation status
Year of assessment (most recent) State (condition) Pressure (threat) Response (action)
2005 moderate medium low
For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here


Site description (2001 baseline)
The Forest Reserve at Kangari is situated on a range of hills in the south-central region of the country. The highest peak, Kangari, lies outside the reserve boundary. The hills are drained by a network of rivers, and the valleys through which they flow support swamps that are suitable, once adapted, for agriculture, which is the main occupation of the inhabitants in surrounding villages. At higher altitudes, at 300–600 m, the vegetation is largely closed moist forest, while secondary forest, interrupted by bush fallow, occurs at lower altitudes. Road access into this reserve is only possible through two towns, Bo and Kono, both more than 60 km distant, to the south and east respectively.

Key biodiversity
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. To date, 115 species have been recorded from this, as yet, poorly surveyed site. These include six species of global conservation concern. Picathartes gymnocephalus breeds; six active colonies comprising eight nests have been discovered. Thousands of Bubulcus ibis occur regularly.

Non-bird biodiversity: The following primates species occur: Pan troglodytes verus (EN), Procolobus badius (LR/nt), Colobus polykomus (LR/nt), Cercocebus atys (LR/nt) and Cercopithecus diana (VU). Other mammals known from this site include Loxodonta africana cyclotis (EN), Hyemoschus aquaticus (LR/nt), Cephalophus niger (LR/nt) and C. maxwelli (LR/nt).


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kangari Hills Non-hunting Forest Reserve (Sierra Leone). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kangari-hills-non-hunting-forest-reserve-iba-sierra-leone on 23/12/2024.