Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The Wonegizi mountains are situated in the north-west of the country against the international frontier with Guinea. The Wonegizi range, which includes the third-highest point in Liberia, is a southern spur of the Guinea Highlands and the site is contiguous with the Massif du Ziama Biosphere Reserve (GN016) in Guinea. The terrain is rugged with broad cliffs and rocky outcrops. The vegetation consists mainly of semi-deciduous forest, similar in composition to that found on the Wologizi mountains (LR001), some 50 km to the west. The sites spans a still largely intact transition from lowland rainforest to semi-montane
Parinari-dominated forest at altitude.
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals that have been recorded include Loxodonta africana (EN), Pan troglodytes (EN), Tragelaphus euryceros (LR/nt) and Cephalophus zebra (VU).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
An earlier proposal for the area to be designated a National Park was made again in 2000, but no action has yet been taken. The area remains unlogged, largely because of the terrain. However, prior to the civil war, attempts were being made to obtain a logging concession for the north-western side of Wonegizi. With the return of political stability the threat of logging is likely to be renewed. There are no villages within the proposed reserve, but many around its borders. Forest clearance for shifting cultivation is likely to be a problem. Other threats include the affects of the continuing instability in the area and in neighbouring parts of Sierra Leone and Guinea, as well as hunting.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Wonegizi mountains (Liberia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wonegizi-mountains-iba-liberia on 22/11/2024.
