The Gbele Resource Centre or Gbele Game Production Reserve is one of the lesser known game reserves in Ghana. It is located in the Sissala West,

Sissala East Municipal Sissala may be, *Sissala East District, Ghana *Sissala West District *Sissala language Sisaala (''Sissala'') is a Gur language cluster spoken in northern Ghana near the town of TumuEdited by M.E.Kropp Dakubu, ''The Languages of Ghana'', Kegan ...

and Daffiama Bussie Issa districts of the Upper West Region The reserve is the fourth largest in Ghana. The nearest town is Tumu, capital of the Sissala East Municipal District which is 17 kilometres to the north. A total of 176 species of birds have been recorded in the reserve. The staff in the reserve are aware of an additional 18 species. The reserve contains antelope, hartebeest, bushbuck, waterbuck, savannah duikers and warthogs, baboon, patas, green monkey among others. There are about 190 species of birds as well. There are nature hikes provided as well. About 30 kilometres to the north of the centre is the

Gwollu Defence Wall The Gwollu Defence Wall is a historic wall in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The wall is located near the Burkina Faso-Mali border. It was built as a defense against slave traders. History The Gwollu Defence Wall was built in the 19th century ...

Location

The Gbele Resource Centre is located to the northeast of Wa, capital of the Upper West Region. To the west is Nadowli, Jirapa and Lawra. To the north is Nandom and

Hamile Hamile is a village in the Jirapa/Lambussie district, a district in the far northwestern Upper West Region of north Ghana, close to the border with Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no ...

. There is a village called Gbele located within the reserve.

Resettlement

In 2019, the government finalised an agreement with settlers in the park which will ensure that they had all vacated the reserve by March 2020 and moved to new housing units it had built for them. The resettlement programme began in 2011. The settlers had migrated into the reserve in search of fertile land for farming.

Habitat

The topgraphy of the reserve is generally flat. The

Kulpawn River The Kulpawn River is one of the major rivers of northwestern Ghana, along with the Black Volta and Sisili Rivers. It flows through Wa Municipal District Wa Municipal District is one of the eleven districts in Upper West Region, Ghana. Original ...

which is seasonal flows from the west to the southeast. Around the Gbele village are thickets clumps consisting of the African baobab, acacia and sycamore fig trees.

Flora

* '' African baobab ( Adansonia digitata)'' * ''

Faidherbia ''Faidherbia'' is a genus of leguminous plants containing one species, ''Faidherbia albida'', which was formerly widely included in the genus '' Acacia'' as ''Acacia albida''. The species is native to Africa and the Middle East and has also been ...

(Acacia albida)'' * '' Sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus)''

Fauna

Gbele Resource Centre is the only wildlife reserve where the '' Rufous-rumped lark'' is known to occur and breed. It is also one of only three reserves where the '' Yellow-billed oxpecker'' is recorded. Birds: * '' Black-headed weaver ( Ploceus melanocephalus)'' * '' Dorst's cisticola ( Cisticola guinea)'' * '' Gambaga flycatcher (Muscicapa gambagae)'' * '' Northern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus)'' * ''

Red-throated bee-eater The red-throated bee-eater (''Merops bulocki'') is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. This species is found in tropical Africa, in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coas ...

(Merops bulocki)'' * '' Rufous-rumped lark (Pinarocorys erythropygia)'' * ''

Spotted thick-knee The spotted thick-knee (''Burhinus capensis''), also known as the spotted dikkop or Cape thick-knee, is a wader in the family Stone-curlew, Burhinidae. It is native to tropical regions of central and southern Africa. Description The spotted thic ...

(Burhinus capensis)'' * ''

Violet turaco The violet turaco, also known as the violaceous plantain eater (''Musophaga violacea''), is a large turaco, a group of African otidimorphae. Characteristics These are unmistakable birds, but shy and often inconspicuous in the treetops. They are ...

(Musophaga violacea)'' *'' Willcocks's honeyguide (Indicator willcocksi)'' * '' Yellow-billed oxpecker (Buphagus africanus)'' Animals: *'' Buffalo'' *''

Bushbuck The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide rang ...

(Tragelaphus scriptus)'' *'' Elephant'' *'' Roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus)''

Gallery

File:Baobab and elephant, Tanzania.jpg, African baobab ''(Adansonia digitata)'' File:Faidherbia albida.JPG, Faidherbia albida ''(Acacia albida)'' File:Sycomore in Ethiopia.jpg, Sycamore tree ''(Ficus sycomorus)'' File:Violet Turaco RWD3.jpg, Violet turaco''(Musophaga violacea)'' File:Flickr - Rainbirder - Yellow-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus africanus).jpg, Yellow-billed Oxpecker ''(Buphagus africanus)'' File:Roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus koba).jpg, Roan antelope ''(Hippotragus equinus koba)'' File:AlaudaErythropygiaWolf.jpg, Rufous-rumped lark ''(Pinarocorys erythropygia)''# File:Ugandan defassa waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa) male.jpg, Waterbuck ''(Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa)''

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gbele Resource Centre National parks of Ghana Protected areas of Ghana Upper West Region