Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Sambisa lies within the catchment of the Yedseram river, south-east of Maiduguri in the north-east of the country. The dominant vegetation is Sudan–Guinea Savanna but, as a result of human activities, areas of the reserve have taken on a more Sahelian aspect. Dominant tree species include
Detarium macrocarpum,
Ficus spp.,
Vitex doniana,
Anogeissus leiocarpus,
Balanites aegyptiaca,
Prosopis africana,
Acacia spp
.,
Piliostigma thonningii,
Combretum spp.,
Adansonia digitata,
Diospyros mespiliformis,
Tamarindus indica and
Terminalia spp
.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. To date, 62 species have been recorded, including four species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04) (see Table 3). Nationally uncommon species include
Terathopius ecaudatus,
Sagittarius serpentarius and
Ardeotis arabs. The site is also thought to be the last in the country at which
Struthio camelus occurs.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals of global conservation concern include Loxodonta africana (EN), Hippotragus equinus (LR/cd) and Alcelaphus buselaphus (LR/cd).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Although legally protected, the site suffers particularly from widespread felling of trees for fuelwood. Additionally, illegal grazing, poaching and over-fishing (including with chemicals, which also kills piscivorous birds), are serious problems. There are proposals to include the site within the Chad Basin National Park.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sambisa Game Reserve (Nigeria). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sambisa-game-reserve-iba-nigeria on 23/12/2024.
