Apoi Creek Forest Reserve

Apoi Creek Forest Reserve
Coordinates: 4 ° 42 ′ 0 ″  N , 5 ° 47 ′ 24 ″  E
Location:	Nigeria
Specialty:	Bayelsa State
Next city:	Apoi-Olodiama , Yenagoa
Surface:	292.13 km²

The Apoi Creek Forest Reserve is a nature reserve in the Nigerian state of Bayelsa . It occupies an area of ​​292.13 km² in the western center of the Niger Delta and was included on April 30, 2008 in the list of wetlands of international importance by the Ramsar Convention . The nature reserve is located in the area of ​​the greater municipality of Apoi-Olodiama (formerly Southern Ijaw ). It is administered by the state's Department of Agriculture and Forestry. In the adjacent area are the villages of Apoi, Okubie, Lobia, Kokolegbene and Gbanraun. It is classified by the IUCN under Category VI, Resource Protection Area with Management.

The climate in this area is characterized as tropical and humid , with a long rainy season from March to November and a short dry season from December to February. Average daytime temperatures range from 26 to 34 ° C, with September being the hottest and rainiest month of the year during the height of the West African monsoons . The dry months are determined by the north-east Passat Harmattan blowing from the Sahara .

The Apoi Creek Forest Reserve lies at a height of 2 to 4 meters above sea level, in a zone of the Niger Delta, which is regularly flooded over large areas due to the interaction of ebb and flow and then dries out again. This regular flooding determines the very species-rich flora in the protected area. This consists largely of extensive mangrove forests , which are replaced by tropical lowland rainforests in the higher hinterland . The daily changing heights of the tides creates swamps , lagoons and lakes . The mangrove forests are dominated by various species of the genera Uapaca and the Rhizophora and are interspersed with raphia palms and various species from the Irvingiaceae family . A total of about 240 vascular plants were documented in the protected area . Other tree species that are rare for Nigeria include Xylopia staudtii , Cercestis afzelii , Uapaca palaudosa , Pterocarpus soyauxii and Hallea ledermannii .

The fauna in the Apoi Creek Forest Reserve is very diverse. The primates are characterized by a high proportion of Nigerian endemics . So come Green colobus ( Procolobus verus ) Rotbauchmeerkatzen ( C. erythrogaster ) and Niger Delta red colobus ( Piliocolobus epieni ) is present in this area. For these three types the area Other primate species is considered a key area for obtaining its kind. Are the mona monkey ( Cercopithecus mona ), the greater spot-nosed monkey ( Cercopithecus nictitans ) and the collared mangabey ( Cercocebus torquatus ). Other large mammals are the Cape buffalo ( Syncerus caffer ), the Sitatunga ( Tragelaphus spekii ), the African stag piglet ( Hyemoschus aquaticus ), the white-bellied pangolin ( Manis tricuspis ) and the black- headed duiker ( Cephalophus nigrifrons ), which has only been observed for a few years .

A population of the Nile crocodile ( Crocodylus niloticus ) exists along the rivers in the protected area . Among the avifauna in the reserve are the African gray parrot ( Psittacus erithacus ), the black kite ( Milvus migra ), the hammerhead ( Scopus umbretta ) and the arboreal duck ( Pteronetta hartlaubii ).

From the fish fauna three types of are killifishes known: the Steel Blue Killie ( Fundulopanchax gardneri ), the epiplatys sexfasciatus ( Epiplatys sexfasciatus ) and Graham Pike Ling ( Epiplatys grahami ). The largest fish family are the cichlids (Cichlidae) with around 23% of the fish population. These follow with 17% pike (Polypteridae) and Epiplatys each .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Miriam Isoun: Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS) - 2006-2008 Version ( Memento of the original from October 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on Wetlands.org (PDF document; 164 kB) (English) 
2. ↑ The Annotated Ramsar List: Nigeria ( Memento of October 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
3. ↑ Apoi Creek Forest Reserve ( Memento of the original from October 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on WCS Nigeria (English)  
4. ↑ John F. Oates and J. Lodewijk Werre: Niger Delta Red Colobus Monkey Publication of the Primate Specialist Group of the IUCN (PDF document; 609 kB) (English)
5. ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Apoi Creek Forest Reserve (English)