Data Zone
Country/territory: Central African Republic
IBA criteria met: A3 (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 268,300 hectares (2,683.00 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2001 | not assessed | not assessed | very low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
Ngotto, in the south of the country, west of the town of Mbaïki, is part of the Lobaye forest, on sandstone. The site is part of the area currently being managed by the European Union-funded Ecofac project; the IBA comprises the conservation area (the ‘Basse-Lobaye Reserve’ of 14,600 ha), which it is hoped to expand to 73,300 ha, and a zone of forestry management (195,000 ha). Excluded is the forestry exploitation zone (556,700 ha). The conservation area lies between the Mbaéré and Bodingué rivers (south-west of Bambio), and comprises two major habitat-types, both reportedly pristine in places; semi-deciduous forest and savanna. Along watercourses the forest becomes riparian or even seasonally flooded. Important trees for birds include Staudtia gabonensis, Pycnanthus angolensis, Celtis spp., Musanga cecropioides, Dacryodes edulis, Uapaca heudelotii, Strombosia spp. and Blighia welwitschii. The wooded savannas are dominated by small trees such as Annona senegalensis, Terminalia glaucescens, Hymenocardia acida, Bridelia ndellensis and Maprounea africana. The savannas are clearly separated from the adjacent forest and it is thought that regular bush fires may preclude regeneration of forest-edge trees. Nearer the Lobaye river the grassland is less well-wooded and is seasonally inundated in places.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 3 for key species. The number of species recorded from this site is 332, of which 270 certainly or probably breed. The avifauna also includes six species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04) near the southern limit of their distributions (see Table 3).
Non-bird biodiversity: Large mammals are very scarce in the area now, doubtless as a result of the considerable subsistence hunting pressure.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ngotto (Central African Republic). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ngotto-iba-central-african-republic on 22/12/2024.