Bakossi Forest Reserve
Encyclopedia
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, home to many rare species of plants, animals and birds.
The Forest Reserve in turn contains the Bakossi National Park
Bakossi National Park
The Bakossi National Park is a protected area within the Bakossi Forest Reserve, created by a decree in early 2008.The park covers , and was justified on the basis of preserving plant diversification.-Location:...
, created by a decree in early 2008.
The park covers 29320 hectares (72,451.2 acre), and was justified on the basis of preserving plant diversification.
The Bakossi Mountains, which include Mount Kupe, cover in total about 230000 square kilometres (88,803.5 sq mi), with perhaps the largest area of cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
in West-Central Africa.
They are part of a larger tract of forest that extends northward into the western foothills of the Bamboutos Mountains.
The reserve was created in 1956. In 2000, the main section of the reserve was designated a protection forest. All logging was banned and Kupe became a "strict nature reserve". The local Bakossi people
Bakossi people
The Koose people live on the western and eastern slopes of Mount Mwanenguba and Mount Kupe in the Bakossi Mountains of Cameroon...
participated in delineating the boundaries.
Between 2003 and 2007, the effectiveness of management in this and other parks improved greatly, although the local people were not well integrated into the system, and lacked education and awareness of environmental goals.
The mountains have one of the healthiest remaining populations of the endangered drill
Drill (mammal)
The Drill is a primate of the family Cercopithecidae , closely related to the Baboons and even more closely to the Mandrill.-Description:...
, a primate related to the Mandrill
Mandrill
The mandrill is a primate of the Old World monkey family, closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the drill. Both the mandrill and the drill were once classified as baboons in genus Papio, but recent research has determined they should be separated into their own genus, Mandrillus...
.
The Drill population in Bakossiland has been threatened by hunters in the area. Drills became extinct in the late 1970s in the Loum Forest Reserve, and may be extinct on Mount Mwanenguba.
However, since 1994, on Mount Kupe the Drill population has started to recover due to protection from the Bakossi traditional chiefs.
Other primates are Preuss's Monkey
Preuss's Monkey
Preuss's monkey , also known as Preuss's guenon, is a diurnal primate that lives terrestrially in mountainous forests of eastern Nigeria, western Cameroon and Bioko in Equatorial Guinea. It is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the L'Hoest's monkey Preuss's monkey (Cercopithecus preussi),...
, Red-eared Guenon
Red-eared Guenon
The red-eared guenon, red-eared monkey, or russet-eared guenon is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Greater Spot-nosed Monkey
Greater Spot-nosed Monkey
The greater spot-nosed monkey or Putty-nosed monkey is one of the smallest Old World monkeys. It is a guenon of the C. mitis group, native to West Africa and living to some extent in rain forests but more often in the transition zone between rain forest and savannah. It is primarily arboreal and...
and several species of Bush baby, Collared Mangabey
Collared Mangabey
The collared mangabey , also known as the red-capped mangabey, white-collared mangabey , or cherry-crowned mangabey, is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family of Old World monkeys. It formerly included the sooty mangabey as a subspecies...
, Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
and Preuss's Red Colobus
Preuss's Red Colobus
Preuss's red colobus is a red colobus primate species endemic to the Cross-Sanaga Rivers ecoregion. An important population occurs in Korup National Park, Southwest Province, Cameroon, but the species' distribution is localized...
.
Some of the species of Chameleon
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
are thought to be found only in the region.
The area has many species of bird. On Mount Kupe alone, more than 329 species have been recorded.
These include the Mount Kupe Bush Shrike, the endangered White-throated Mountain Babbler, and the vulnerable Green-breasted Bush-shrike
Green-breasted Bush-shrike
The Green-breasted Bush-shrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family. It is found in Cameroon and Nigeria....
and Grey-necked Picathartes.