Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Situated in the Togo mountains, north-west of the town of Kpalimé, adjoining the border with Ghana, the reserve consists of steep hillsides supporting semi-deciduous forest dominated by
Antiaris africana and
Chlorophora excelsa. Also included is the Forêt Classée de Damétui, just to the north-east of Misahöhe. Other tree species include
Albizia adianthifolia,
A. zygia,
Alstonia congensis,
Bosqueia angolensis,
Cola cordifolia,
Dialium guineense,
Harungana paniculata,
Khaya grandiflora,
Macaranga spinosa,
Malacantha alnifolia,
Pycnanthus angolensis,
Terminalia superba,
Trichilia africana,
Triplochiton scleroxylon and
Uapaca heudelotii. There are a number of settlements within the site which is also bisected by a road linking Kpalimé with Dafo in Ghana. The area is of historical interest as the site of a field station of the early German colonists, and a German cemetery remains.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. In addition,
Circus macrourus has been recorded, as have two species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome; see Table 2. Misahöhe is the type-locality of
Phyllastrephus baumanni and of
Camaroptera chloronota. It is the only site in Togo from which many forest species have been recorded.
Non-bird biodiversity: The site is the type-locality of the tree-frog Hyperolius baumanni.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats include deforestation, encroachment by small farms, fire and firewood collecting.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Misahöhe Forest Reserve (Togo). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/misahöhe-forest-reserve-iba-togo on 22/12/2024.
