Data Zone
Country/territory: Ethiopia
IBA criteria met: A1, A3 (1996)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 94,000 ha
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 1996 | near favourable | medium | high |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
Tiro Boter–Becho forest lies in Tiro–Afeta and Limu–Kosa Weredas of Jimma Zone, 80 km south-west of Welkite town, which in turn is 150 km from Addis Ababa. It lies along a volcanic mountain ridge, running almost north to south, and rising to a series of small peaks, the highest of which is 3,018 m. The mountains are drained by the Gilgel Gibe to the west, which forms a wide valley supporting the lower parts of the forest, and the main Gibe river to the north and east. The Tiro Boter–Becho forest is a mixed coniferous–broadleaf forest, fairly species-rich, and structurally diverse. Acacia woodland dominates the lowest altitudes, with high montane forest on the slopes and in the valleys up to around 2,500 m. Above this is a mixed coniferous forest, comprising Juniperus procera, Hagenia abyssinica and other small trees, that grades into an open Erica arborea zone around 3,000 m. There are some patches of Arundinaria alpina in wet, sheltered valleys. Aningeria adolfi-friderici are the largest trees and are sought-after for their timber. Although the Tiro Boter–Becho forest covers 85,804 ha of forest and forest land, in 1988 only 15,957 ha was undisturbed forest, the remainder comprising 23,289 ha of disturbed forest and 46,558 ha of plantation and bushland.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 3 for key species. So far 122 species have been recorded. Macronyx flavicollis is uncommon, being restricted to a few small grassland patches. Notable among the biome-restricted species are Dendropicos abyssinicus, Pseudoalcippe abyssinica, Cryptospiza salvadorii, the little-recorded Poeoptera tuhlmanni,Onychognathus tenuirostris, Cinnyricinclus sharpii and Serinus xanthopygius. Other species of interest include Accipiter rufiventris, Apaloderma narina and four little-recorded species, Emberiza affinis, Schoenicula brevirostris, Coracina pectoralis and Lagonosticta rubricata. In addition, one species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome has been recorded; see Table 3.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Tiro Boter - Becho forest (Ethiopia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tiro-boter--becho-forest-iba-ethiopia on 22/11/2024.