Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This site represents a good sample of the Téké Plateau in the south-east of the country, a scenic undulating grassy plateau which stretches over c.58,000 km² in Congo. The relief is rather broken in places, with large cliffs of eroded limestone and rocky outcrops dotted about on ridges. Much of the forest is restricted to galleries along rivers (including swamp-forest, some with
Raphia palms), but some patches of dry forest and thicket persist on high ground. The other main habitats are
Loudetia simplex grassland (very extensive, probably largely fire-induced) and
Hymenocardia acida wooded grassland. Some ponds and lakes are found locally in depressions. A number of small villages occur along the roads (one of which enters the reserve in the north; others border the eastern and northern edges).
See Box and Table 2 for key species. The avifauna is still incompletely known (the main survey covered only a week), but numbers at least 239 species and is expected to hold at least 300. The forest component (nearly 100 species) is poorer than further north or west, but includes species such as
Bostrychia rara and
Scotopelia bouvieri. In addition to good populations of
Francolinus finschi and
Ploceus nigrimentum, another endemic of the Téké–Angola plateau,
Myrmecocichla tholloni, occurs in large numbers in
Loudetia grassland (population estimated at over 20,000 pairs). The Léfini is so far the only locality where the two closely-related
Cisticola brunnescens and
C. (
b.)
cinnamomeus are known to coexist, the former in dry grassland (where very common), the latter in grassy swamps (where very local). Other common grassland species include
Eupodotis senegalensis,
Vanellus lugubris,
Mirafra africana,
Anthus leucophrys and
A. brachyurus.
Merops breweri is locally common at the forest/grassland ecotone and
Jynx ruficollis in wooded grassland. The little-known
Phedina brazzae is recorded from neighbouring localities and could be expected to occur; there is one record of
Nectarinia congensis from the eastern edge of the reserve, but it could be more widespread. More research is needed. In addition, two species of the Zambezian biome (A10),
Lanius souzae and
Sylvietta ruficapilla, occur in wooded grassland.
Non-bird biodiversity: Large mammals have been over-hunted in the past, but Syncerus caffer nanus (LR/cd), Tragelaphus spekii (LR/nt), various duikers and primates (including Cercopithecus neglectus) still occur.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
A reintroduction programme of orphaned
Gorilla gorilla (funded mainly by the late J. Aspinall and GEF–World Bank) had been taking place on the south-eastern edge of the reserve (Lésio river) until June 1997, when the civil war in Brazzaville and elsewhere forced the evacuation of expatriate staff. With the cessation of hostilities staff returned to the site, but there was a marked increase in poaching by refugees from the combat zones. GEF funding has now ceased and the future of the project is uncertain. With its great scenic beauty and proximity to Brazzaville, this area should have considerable tourism potential once peace is restored. The conservation efforts mentioned above were vastly insufficient to ensure protection of the remaining mammal populations, but habitats and birds are not considered at risk given the very low human pressure.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Léfini Faunal Reserve (Congo). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/léfini-faunal-reserve-iba-congo on 22/11/2024.
