Emerald forest reserve designation as Key Biodiversity Area (KBA)

Watch IITA Forest Center's science-led role in the designation of Emerald Forest Reserve as a Key Biodiversity Area. The global KBA Partnership, coordinated by the KBA Secretariat with BirdLife International as a core partner, has designated the Emerald Forest Reserve (EFR) as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), owing to its critical role in conserving globally significant species. Central to this KBA designation is the Emerald Forest Reserve’s importance for the conservation of the endemic and endangered Ibadan Malimbe (Malimbus ibadanensis). Through long-term ornithological monitoring, the IITA Forest Center documented repeated sightings, acoustic calls, nesting attempts, and breeding behavior of the species within the reserve. These records became some of the strongest scientific evidence of the species’ continued existence in the wild, providing empirical evidence for the nomination and eventual designation of the Emerald Forest Reserve as the 28th Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) in Nigeria.