obiri Forest and Butterfly Sanctuary is one of the best examples of managed tropical forest in Ghana. The Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary is the most beautiful forest reserve and the only butterfly sanctuary in West Africa.
The forest reserve is open for guests to explore and enjoy the flora and over 900 species of butterflies, along (marked) trails.

The Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary falls within the political jurisdiction of the Juaben Municipality as well as the Juaso Forest District of Ashanti Region. 

Bobiri forest Reserve is one of the richest forests in Ghana and is the closest forest reserve to the city of Kumasi. The Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary is located approximately 35 km southeast of Kumasi and 3 km from the village Kubease along the Kumasi-Accra highway.

Nestled in 21sq. miles (54.65 km²) of natural forest, is divided into 73 compartments: 49 as the production zone, 24 as the conservation/research zone and the ecotourism zone. The forest hosts over 900 species of rare and exotic butterflies and more than 200 species of birds.

It is also home to endemic species like the Bobiri Reed frog (Hyperilious bobiriensis), Talbotiella gentii, the mysterious Dalbergia lactea and other unique life forms.

The Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary nestled amidst lush greenery and adorned with vibrant butterflies, provides an enchanting setting for guest who will have the opportunity to discover the wonders of this sanctuary through guided hiking trails, adding an element of adventure to the festivities. There is the opportunity of identifying different tree species on the hiking trails and in the arboretum. The forest canopy creates a miniature shelter and a conducive environment which tourists love. 

 MANAGEMENT 

The Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary is an Outstation Research Station under the Forest and Climate Change Division OF CSIR- Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG). One third of the forest size is under protection and managed by CSIR – Forestry Research Institute of Ghana and the two-third of the forest size which is under production is sustainably managed by Forest Service Division of Forestry Commission.

 MANDATE

The core activities of the station are to undertake forest and forestry-related research and management of the Butterfly sanctuary and the ecotourism aspect of the station.

 The site is ideal for tropical forest research; education of students pursuing Forestry, Biological Science, Environmental Science, Ecotourism, Biogeography and other related fields; academic tours, appreciation of nature through butterfly and bird watching, hiking through natural forest alongside a tour guide, picnics and recreation, holidays away from the hustle and bustle of the city etc.

The butterflies are the key side attraction for visitors or tourists and a need to pay very critical attention to the butterfly sanctuary, especially during their non-peak season.

Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary

The Butterfly Sanctuary was established in the year 1998 near the guesthouse through the joint initiative of two Entomologists, Prof. Joseph Rexford Cobbinah (A former Director of CSIR-FORIG) and his friend, Prof. Michael Wagner (North Arizona University). Fruit trees and host plants with nectar-producing flowers such as clerodendron, hibiscus, wandering jew, etc. were planted to attract the butterflies closer to the guesthouse from the forest.

Bobiri is one of the most worthwhile day or night destination in the Ashanti Region, particularly for those seeking a peaceful and affordable forest retreat rattling with animal life. Butterflies inhabit the Bobiri Forest Reserve mainly because it has been preserved in a near-primary forest condition since 1939 when it was gazette in its primary/ pristine state.

The serene environment, less noise from the hustle and bustle of the city (release stress) etc.

A most recent diversity assessment of the Sanctuary revealed that the most common butterfly species are Bicyclus istaris, Bicyclus funebris, Bicyclus sandace, Bicyclus sangmelinae, Gnophodes chelys, Melantis libya and Melantis leda (Agyemang-Badu 2020, Thesis). Over 90 % of the butterflies sampled are forest dwellers. Less than 10 % are urban dwellers and these were found close to the guesthouse.

Generally, butterflies are biological indicators of ecosystem health and stability. They inhabit the Bobiri Forest Reserve mainly because it has been preserved in a near-primary forest condition since 1939 when it was gazetted in its primary/ pristine state. The butterflies are prevalent from March to August and also at their best during mid-day since they require solar energy to facilitate movement.

It has fruit orchard and host plants (garden/sanctuary) with nectar-producing flowers which has been planted to attract the butterflies closer to the guesthouse from the forest.

Ecotourism is dependent upon natural resources and the major resource in Bobiri is the forest itself and forest research is equally dependent on this resource.

 The Sanctuary does not have formal opening hours because of the guesthouse on site, but guides are available from 8:00 am until 5.00 pm.

 Uniqueness / Resources

The Bobiri Reserve is unique in terms of its size, accessibility and its variety of resources. It is said to the richest in Ghana, having the highest number of commercial wood species. It has 104 commercial timber species and has a highly large number of Pericopsis elata (Kokrodua) a highly endangered tree currently with a total ban on its exploitation. Among this large number of timber species, there is a predominance of mahogany – in fact, Bobiri is said to have the largest concentration per acre of mahogany in Ghana.

The total number of plant species is 209 with a Genetic Heat Index of 46.GHI expresses on a scale of 100, the concentration of rare species.

Fauna

The nature reserve (protection working circle/PWC) of the forest reserve house and protect animal life. Random Surveys and observation indicate the presence of high number of small and large mammals such as African buffalo, Pangolins, Bats, and Bongo Bushbuck, Black duiker, Mona and Colobus monkeys, African civet, Brush-tailed porcupine, African Giant Rat, Squirrel, Marsh mongoose, Common Cusimanse, Striped Ground Squirrel, long tailed hawk, black dwarf hornbill, African grey parrot, Blue-throated roller, African piculet(woodpecker), Red-chested owlet, African wood owls, Fraser’s eagle-owl and Brown nightjar. etc. There are over 400 species of birds that has been identified in the forest.

 

Arboretum

The Bobiri forest arboretum is 1.5 ha (3.9 acres) in size and next to the Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary and Bobiri Guesthouse. Trees in the arboretum are numbered and labelled enabling reference to publication: “A Visitors Guide To Bobiri Forest Reserve Arboretum”, however only one representative of each species is labelled for the purpose of training in tree identification. It is easy walking around and having picnics in the arboretum, since the undergrowth is cleared.

 Most interesting about the 120 trees is that besides their commercial values as timber, the other local, especially medicinal and culinary values are also explained by the Guide and may be found in the booklet on the reserve.

Hiking

The reserve is served with long tracks of walking trails kept free of bushes and undergrowth. The visitor’s unforgettable experience is therefore a conducted walking tour through a dense jungle under the cool shade of 60m high tropical trees and thickets. The trails are given names and trees along the trails are labelled with their scientific names, local names and their primary uses.

No	Name of trail	Distance (Km)
1	Three Sister	1.1
2	Onyina	3.0
3	Denya	3.1
4	Emire	5.2
5	Emma & Palm	3.2
6	Mahogany	0.5

Table 1: Details of the hiking trails in the forest