Africa and its associated islands have over 1,300 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in total covering an area of just over 2 million km2 equivalent to some 7% of the land area. For each geographic area, the table below shows the number of IBAs, the number of species of global conservation concern, the number of restricted range species and the number of biome restricted species.
Country | IBAs | Species of concern | Restricted species | Biome restricted |
Algeria |
31
|
15
|
2
|
8
|
Angola |
23
|
14
|
9
|
22
|
Benin |
6
|
1
|
0
|
5
|
Botswana |
12
|
7
|
0
|
8
|
Bouvet Island |
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Burkina Faso |
10
|
0
|
0
|
9
|
Burundi |
5
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
Cameroon |
33
|
28
|
23
|
31
|
Canary Islands |
60
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
Cape Verde Islands |
12
|
7
|
9
|
0
|
Central African Republic |
8
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
Chad |
8
|
3
|
0
|
7
|
Comoros |
4
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
Congo (Brazzaville) |
6
|
3
|
1
|
6
|
Congo (Democratic Republic) |
19
|
15
|
11
|
19
|
Côte d'Ivoire |
14
|
13
|
13
|
13
|
Djibouti |
7
|
4
|
0
|
5
|
Egypt |
34
|
21
|
0
|
9
|
Equatorial Guinea |
5
|
5
|
5
|
2
|
Eritrea |
14
|
4
|
2
|
14
|
Ethiopia |
69
|
53
|
17
|
46
|
French Southern Territories |
17
|
16
|
9
|
0
|
Gabon |
7
|
7
|
6
|
7
|
The Gambia |
13
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
Ghana |
36
|
24
|
24
|
31
|
Guinea |
18
|
9
|
5
|
12
|
Guinea-Bissau |
8
|
5
|
0
|
6
|
Kenya |
60
|
47
|
29
|
30
|
Lesotho |
6
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
Liberia |
9
|
8
|
8
|
9
|
Libya |
8
|
1
|
0
|
6
|
Madagascar |
84
|
72
|
75
|
84
|
Madeira |
20
|
3
|
6
|
0
|
Malawi |
22
|
15
|
13
|
21
|
Mali |
17
|
7
|
2
|
8
|
Mauritania |
24
|
15
|
0
|
13
|
Mauritius and Rodrigues |
16
|
14
|
10
|
0
|
Mayotte |
5
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
Morocco |
44
|
24
|
0
|
16
|
Mozambique |
15
|
12
|
9
|
14
|
Namibia |
19
|
7
|
5
|
10
|
Niger |
15
|
3
|
0
|
5
|
Nigeria |
27
|
12
|
7
|
27
|
Réunion |
12
|
9
|
8
|
0
|
Rwanda |
7
|
7
|
5
|
7
|
Saint Helena & dependencies |
8
|
8
|
6
|
0
|
São Tomé and Príncipe |
5
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
Senegal |
17
|
7
|
0
|
6
|
Seychelles |
20
|
12
|
12
|
0
|
Sierra Leone |
10
|
7
|
6
|
8
|
Somalia |
24
|
15
|
12
|
21
|
South Africa |
101
|
89
|
47
|
56
|
Sudan |
22
|
8
|
0
|
19
|
Swaziland |
3
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
Tanzania |
77
|
55
|
39
|
49
|
Togo |
4
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
Tunisia |
46
|
20
|
0
|
16
|
Uganda |
30
|
25
|
12
|
27
|
Zambia |
31
|
22
|
5
|
29
|
Zimbabwe |
20
|
11
|
10
|
16
|
Endemic Bird Areas
BirdLife International has listed 68 Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) in Africa and its associated islands. Each EBA holds two or more birds which have a globally restricted range of less than 50,000 km2 and each secondary area holds only one restricted range species. There are 407 restricted range species in total. The names of the EBAs, the number of restrticted range species which they hold and the countries which hold them are shown in the following table.
EBA name | Species | Countries |
Albertine Rift mountains |
37
|
Burundi, Congo, DRC, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda |
Aldabra |
4
|
Seychelles |
Annobón |
3
|
Equatorial Guinea |
Cameroon and Gabon lowlands |
6
|
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria |
Cameroon mountains |
29
|
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria |
Cape fynbos |
6
|
South Africa |
Cape Verde Islands |
4
|
Cape Verde |
Central Ethiopian highlands |
4
|
Eritrea, Ethiopia |
Central Somali coast |
2
|
Somalia |
Comoro Islands |
19
|
Comoros, Mayotte (France) |
Djibouti juniper forests (s) |
1
|
Djibouti |
Dry woodlands west of Lake Victoria (s) |
1
|
Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda |
East African coastal forests |
7
|
Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania |
East Malagasy wet forests |
23
|
Madagascar |
East Malagasy wetlands |
8
|
Madagascar |
Eastern Zaire lowlands |
6
|
Congo, DRC, Uganda |
Eastern Zimbabwean mountains |
3
|
Mozambique, Zimbabwe |
Gabon-Cabinda coast (s) |
1
|
Angola, Congo, DRC, Gabon |
Gough Island |
2
|
St Helena (UK) |
Granitic Seychelles |
12
|
Seychelles |
Ile Sainte-Marie (s) |
1
|
Madagascar |
Isalo massif (s) |
1
|
Madagascar |
Jubba and Shabeelle valleys |
4
|
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia |
Kakamega and Nandi forests (s) |
1
|
Kenya |
Karoo (s) |
1
|
Namibia, South Africa |
Kenyan mountains |
9
|
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda |
Kilombero floodplain (s) |
1
|
Tanzania |
Lake Lufira (s) |
1
|
Congo, DRC |
Lesotho highlands |
3
|
Lesotho, South Africa |
Lower Niger valley (s) |
1
|
Nigeria |
Mauritius |
10
|
Mauritius |
Madeira and Canary Islands |
10
|
Portugal, Spain |
Mount Kulal (s) |
1
|
Kenya |
Namib desert (s) |
1
|
Namibia |
Namibian escarpment (s) |
1
|
Angola, Namibia |
North Algerian mountains (s) |
1
|
Algeria |
North Kenyan short grass plains (s) |
1
|
Kenya |
North Somali mountains |
3
|
Somalia |
North Uganda swamps (s) |
1
|
Uganda |
North-east Sudan (s) |
1
|
Sudan |
North-east Uganda (s) |
1
|
Uganda |
Northern Ethiopia (s) |
1
|
Ethiopia, Somalia |
North-west Somalia (s) |
1
|
Somalia |
North-west Zambia (s) |
1
|
Zambia |
Pemba |
4
|
Tanzania |
Príncipe |
12
|
São Tomé and Príncipe |
Réunion |
7
|
Réunion (France) |
Rodrigues |
2
|
Mauritius |
São Tomé |
21
|
São Tomé and Príncipe |
Serengeti plains |
6
|
Kenya, Tanzania |
South African forests |
7
|
Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland |
South Ethiopian highlands |
5
|
Ethiopia |
South Malagasy spiny forests |
10
|
Madagascar |
South-east African coast |
4
|
Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe |
South African grasslands |
3
|
Lesotho, South Africa |
Southern Zambia (s) |
1
|
Zambia |
South-west Nigeria (s) |
1
|
Nigeria |
South-west Tanzanian swamps (s) |
1
|
Tanzania, Zambia |
St Helena (s) |
1
|
St Helena (UK) |
Tanzania- Malawi mountains |
37
|
Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia |
Tristan Islands |
4
|
St Helena (UK) |
Upemba plains (s) |
1
|
Congo, DRC |
Upper Guinea forests |
15
|
Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone |
Upper Niger valley (s) |
1
|
Mali, Senegal |
West Malagasy dry forests |
8
|
Madagascar |
West Malagasy wetlands |
7
|
Madagascar |
West Zaire and North Angola forests (s) |
1
|
Angola, DRC |
Western Angola |
14
|
Namibia, Angola |
Notes:
DRC=Democratic Republic of the Congo
(s)=Secondary Area.
BIOMES
There are 15 biomes in Africa each with a number of species whose range is restricted to that biome. In total, 974 species are restricted to a particular biome. The names of the biomes and the number of restricted range species in each is shown in the table below.
Biome | Species |
Mediterranean |
17
|
Sahara-Sindian |
22
|
Sahel |
16
|
Sudan-Guinea savanna |
54
|
Guinea-Congo forests |
278
|
Lake Victoria basin |
12
|
Afrotropical highlands |
228
|
Somali Masai |
129
|
East African coast |
36
|
Zambezian |
67
|
Kalahari highveld |
13
|
Namib-Karoo |
23
|
Fynbos |
9
|
West Malagasy |
24
|
East Malagasy |
46
|
Source: BirdLife International 2000 and FISHPOOL, L.D.C. and EVANS M.I. (2001).