Upper Urashi Forest Reserve is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

in Rivers State, Nigeria located along the upper reaches of the Urashi River, near the village of Ikodi in Ahoada West. The reserve covers an area of 25,165 ha (97.163 sq mi). It was designated a wetland of international importance under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...

on 30 April 2008.

Climate

The climate of Upper Urashi is a

Tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

"Am"), characterized by a lengthy wet season from March to November and a short dry season from December to February. The average annual precipitation is 2510 millimetres (99 in), with the month of September being typically the wettest month of the year. The forest stays inundated from September to November by floodwaters of Urashi River, resulting in siltification and soil fertility augmentation.

Flora

Originally established on 30 December 1899 with 9,696 hectares (37.44 sq mi), it includes a variety of

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

types such as tropical lowland

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

, marshes and seasonal

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

s. Among the tree species recorded in the reserve, are the '' Lophira alata'', '' Ricinodendron heudelotii'', '' Albizia adianthifolia'' and '' Hexalobus crispiflorus''. The '' Hallea ledermannii'', which is important for the forestry industry, is present in this forest, but has dropped significantly as a result of its extensive use. The

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms, called oil palms, containing two species, native to Africa and the Americas. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. Description Mature palms are single-stemmed, and can gro ...

trees (''

Elaeis guineensis ''Elaeis guineensis'' is a species of Arecaceae, palm commonly just called oil palm but also sometimes African oil palm or macaw-fat. The first Western world, Western person to describe it and bring back seeds was the French naturalist Michel Ad ...

'') and '' Musanga cecropioides'' are also found in the higher areas.

Fauna

The reserve is a minor centre of endemism for sclater's guenon and endangered white-throated guenon,

red colobus monkey Red colobuses are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Piliocolobus''. It was formerly considered a subgenus within the genus '' Procolobus'', which is now restricted to the olive colobus. They are closely related to the black-and-white colobus mon ...

and Heslop's

pygmy hippopotamus The pygmy hippopotamus or pygmy hippo (''Choeropsis liberiensis'') is a small Hippopotamidae, hippopotamid which is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Co ...

. It also does provide a major roosting site for the grey parrot (''Psittacus erithacas'') and hosts a number of waterbird species whose distribution is confined to the Guinea-Congo Forests biome.

Conservation

The Upper Orashi Forest Reserve is administered by the Forestry Department of the

Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture The Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture is a ministry of the Government of Rivers State charged with regulation and formulation of policies related to the agricultural sector of the state with aim to secure food, improve the economy of the rural ...

. It is classified as IUCN protected area category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) with the objective of sustainable multiple use of forest resources and scientific research, with emphasis on methods for sustainable exploitation of native forests.

References

{{Rivers State Forests of Rivers State Protected areas established in 1899 Ramsar sites in Nigeria 1899 establishments in the British Empire Important Bird Areas of Nigeria Forest reserves of Nigeria