Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests

The Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in central Africa. It occupies the upper slopes of coastal Mount Cameroon in Cameroon, and the mountains of nearby Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea.

Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests
Satellite imagery of the Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests. Mount Cameroon is the peak in the center of the picture; Bioko is visible in the lower left.
Location map of the Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests
Ecology
RealmAfrotropical
Biometropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
BordersCross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests
Geography
Area1,141 km2 (441 sq mi)
CountriesCameroon and Equatorial Guinea
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered
Global 200yes
Protected736 km² (64%)[1]

Geography

The ecoregion includes the distinct montane forests on the higher elevations of two volcanic peaks, Mount Cameroon, which lies in Cameroon near the coast, and Bioko, a volcanic island to the southwest in Equatorial Guinea.

The montane forests occur as low as 500 meters elevation on Mount Cameroon. They also occur above 1500 meters elevation on three peaks on Bioko, Pico Basilé (3,011 meters elevation), Gran Caldera de Luba (2,261 m), and Pico Biao (2,009 m).[2] The montane forests are surrounded at lower elevations by the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests ecoregion.

Both Bioko and Mount Cameroon are part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line, a line of volcanoes that runs northeast-southwest across the Cameroon Highlands and extending into the Atlantic Ocean as the islands of Bioko, São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobon. At over 4,000m Mount Cameroon is the highest peak in western Africa, and is still an active volcano.

Climate

The southwestern slopes of these mountains have a wet climate all-year round.

Flora

The montane forests of Mount Cameroon and Bioko are home to the distinct Afromontane flora of Africa's high mountains. The chief plant communities are montane forests, montane grasslands, and heathlands. At least 42 plant species are strictly endemic and another 50 near-endemic to Mount Cameroon.

Fauna

370 species of birds have been recorded on Mount Cameroon, including some endemics. There is less variety of mammals, and most larger mammals have disappeared, but there are some endemics such as the Cameroon soft-furred mouse (Praomys morio), and a greater variety of reptiles and amphibians including the endemic toad Werneria preussi.

Conservation and threats

The forest of Mount Cameroon is threatened, especially at lower elevations, by conversion to agriculture and logging.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 736 km², or 64%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Only 5% of the unprotected area is still forested.[3] Protected areas include Mount Cameroon National Park on Mount Cameroon, and Pico Basilé National Park and Luba Crater Scientific Reserve on Bioko.

See also
  • "Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  • World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
  • Cameroon mountains Endemic Bird Area (BirdLife International)

References
  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. "Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.

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