The Cameroonian Highlands forests, also known as the Cameroon Highlands forests, are a

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

located on the range of mountains that runs inland from the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in ...

and forms the border between

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. This is an area of forest and grassland which has become more populous as land is cleared for agriculture.

Geography

The Cameroonian Highlands forests extend across the

Cameroon Highlands The Western High Plateau, Western Highlands or Bamenda Grassfields is a region of Cameroon characterised by high relief, cool temperatures, heavy rainfall and savanna vegetation. The region lies along the Cameroon line and consists of mounta ...

, a chain of extinct volcanoes, covering an area of in eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon. The highlands extend roughly southwest–northeast. In the southwest the ecoregion includes the

Rumpi Hills The Rumpi Hills are an undulating mountain range with its highest peak, Mount Rata about located between the villages of Dikome Balue and Mofako Balue, Ndian division in the Southwest region of Cameroon. The hills are situated at 4°50’N 9°0 ...

, Bakossi Mountains,

Mount Nlonako The Mont Nlonako Wildlife Reserve is a wildlife reserve and a proposed protected area ( WDPA ID: 308631) in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. This nature reserve covers an area of approximately , on the south-east side of the city of Nkongsamba ...

Mount Kupe Mount Kupe or Mont Koupé is a plutonic mountain in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon, part of the Cameroon line of volcanoes. It is the highest of the Bakossi mountains, rising to . The mountain is revered by the local Bakossi people The Ba ...

, and Mount Manengouba. It extends northeast towards the Mambila Plateau, and north to the Bamenda Highlands. It continues northeast along the western flank of the

Adamawa Plateau The Adamawa Plateau (french: Massif de l'Adamaoua) is a plateau region in west-central Africa stretching from south-eastern Nigeria through north-central Cameroon ( Adamawa and North Provinces) to the Central African Republic. The part of the pl ...

to Tchabal Gangdaba. Northern outliers include the

Mambilla Plateau The Mambilla Plateau is a plateau in the Taraba State of Nigeria. The Mambilla Plateau has an average elevation of about above sea level, making it the highest plateau in Nigeria. Some of its villages are situated on hills that are at least abo ...

to the northeast, Nigeria's Obudu Plateau to the northwest, the Alantika Mountains and Hosséré Vokré to the north, and two small outliers east of Tchabal Gandaba on the Adamawa Plateau. The ecoregion lies above 900 meters elevation, and is surrounded at lower elevations by the

Cross–Sanaga–Bioko coastal forests The Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of west-central Africa. This is lush forest rich in flora and birdlife. Location and description The region includes the lowland and coastal forests of southe ...

at the southern end of the range, and by Guinean forest–savanna mosaic along the central and northern ends of the range. The Cameroon Highlands form the boundary between the Guinean and

Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic The Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is a forest and savanna ecoregion of central Africa. It extends east and west across central Africa, covering parts of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Suda ...

ecoregions. The highest peak within the ecoregion is

Mount Oku Mount Oku, or Kilum Mountain, is the largest volcano in the Oku Massif, in the Cameroon Volcanic Line, located in the Oku region of the Western High Plateau of Cameroon. It is the second highest mountain in mainland Central Africa. The stratovol ...

().

Mount Cameroon Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the South West region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous n ...

is highest mountain in the chain, but its high-elevation forests are designated a separate ecoregion.

Climate

Mean maximum temperatures are below 20°C due to the effects of altitude, and are cooler than the surrounding lowlands. Average annual rainfall ranges from around 4,000 mm near the coast to 1,800 mm or less further inland. The highlands are an important source of water for both Nigeria and Cameroon.

Flora

The vegetation varies with elevation. Submontane forests extend from to meters elevation. Above elevation are distinct montane forests and patches of montane grassland, bamboo forest, and subalpine grasslands and shrublands. The ecoregion is characterized by the presence of afromontane species, which have an archipelago-like distribution across the highlands of Africa. Typical afromontane species are '' Nuxia congesta, Podocarpus milanjianus,

Prunus africana ''Prunus africana'', the African cherry, has a wide distribution in Africa, occurring in montane regions of central and southern Africa and on the islands of Bioko, São-Tomé, Grande Comore, and Madagascar. It can be found at above sea level. I ...

Rapanea melanophloeos ''Rapanea melanophloeos'', commonly known as Cape beech, Kaapse boekenhout or isiCalabi, is a dense evergreen tree that is native to the afromontane forests of Southern Africa. Outside forests they are also commonly encountered along stream banks ...

,'' and '' Syzygium guineense bamendae''.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to a number of

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

species, along with several more that are also found in the nearby

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. Ge ...

ecoregion. Seven species of birds are strictly endemic: the Bamenda apalis (''Apalis bamendae''), Bangwa forest warbler (''Bradypterus bangwaensis''), white-throated mountain-babbler (''Kupeornis gilberti''), banded wattle-eye (''Platysteira laticincta''),

Bannerman's weaver Bannerman's weaver (''Ploceus bannermani'') is a species of bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae. It is found in Cameroon and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. It ...

(''Ploceus bannermani''), Mount Kupe bush-shrike (''Telophorus kupeensis'') and Bannerman's turaco (''Tauraco bannermani),'' which is a cultural icon for the Kom people who live in the area. Fourteen species are endemic to the Cameroon Highlands forests and Mt. Cameroon: ''Andropadus montanus, Phyllastrephus poliocephalus, Laniarius atroflavus, Malaconotus gladiator, Cossypha isabellae'' and the subspecies ''Cisticola chubbi discolor'' (sometimes considered a separate species ''C. discolor''). Nine more montane endemic species are shared with Mt. Cameroon and

Bioko Bioko (; historically Fernando Po; bvb, Ëtulá Ëria) is an island off the west coast of Africa and the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea. Its population was 335,048 at the 2015 census and it covers an area of . The island is located of ...

: ''Psalidoprocne fuliginosa, Andropadus tephrolaemus, Phyllastrephus poensis, Phylloscopus herberti, Urolais epichlora, Poliolais lopezi, Nectarinia oritis, Nectarinia ursulae,'' and ''Nesocharis shelleyi''. Eleven small mammal species are endemic to the ecoregion: Eisentraut's striped mouse (''Hybomys eisentrauti''), the Mount Oku hylomyscus (''Hylomyscus grandis''), Mount Oku rat (''Lamottemys okuensis''), Mittendorf's striped grass mouse (''Lemniscomys mittendorfi''), Dieterlen's brush-furred mouse (''Lophuromys dieterleni'') and Eisentraut's brush-furred rat (''L. eisentrauti''), Oku mouse shrew (''Myosorex okuensis,'') Rumpi mouse shrew (''M. rumpii''),

western vlei rat The western vlei rat (''Otomys occidentalis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Cameroon and Nigeria. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland and swamps. It is threatened by habitat los ...

(''Otomys occidentalis''), Hartwig's soft-furred mouse (''Praomys hartwigi''), and Bioko forest shrew ('' Sylvisorex isabellae''). The ecoregion is home to several endangered

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

s, including the

Cross River gorilla The Cross River gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla diehli'') is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla''). It was named a new species in 1904 by Paul Matschie, a mammalian taxonomist working at the Humboldt Univer ...

(''Gorilla gorilla diehli''), an endemic subspecies of western gorilla, mainland drill (''Mandrillus leucophaeus leucophaeus''),

Preuss's red colobus Preuss's red colobus (''Piliocolobus preussi'') 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 ...

(''Pilocolobus preussi''), chimpanzee (''

Pan troglodytes The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

'') and several species of

guenon The guenons (, ) are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Cercopithecus'' (). Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names; also, because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have co ...

including

Preuss's monkey The Preuss's monkey (''Allochrocebus preussi''), also known as Preuss's guenon, is a diurnal primate that lives terrestrially in mountainous (up to 2500 m) forests of eastern Nigeria, western Cameroon and Bioko in Equatorial Guinea. It was form ...

(''Cercopithecus preussi''). Forty species of amphibians are endemic to the ecoregion: ''

Petropedetes parkeri ''Petropedetes parkeri'' is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is found in western Cameroon and eastern Nigeria. Records from Equatorial Guinea and Gabon are uncertain, possibly belonging to ''Petropedetes euskircheni''. ''P. park ...

'', ''

Petropedetes perreti ''Petropedetes perreti'' is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is endemic to Cameroon. It is known from the southern slopes of the Bamiléké Plateau, Mount Manengouba, and Mount Nlonako. Common name Perret's water frog has been ...

'', ''

Phrynobatrachus cricogaster ''Phrynobatrachus cricogaster'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in the mountains of western Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria. Common name Nkongsamba river frog has been coined for it. The specific name ''cricog ...

'', '' Phrynobatrachus steindachneri'', '' Phrynobatrachus werneri'', '' Phrynobatrachus'' species, '' Phrynodon'' species, '' Cardioglossa melanogaster'', '' Cardioglossa oreas'', '' Cardioglossa pulchra'', '' Cardioglossa schioetzi'', '' Cardioglossa trifasciata'', '' Cardioglossa venusta'', '' Astylosternus nganhanus'', '' Astylosternus perreti'', '' Astylosternus montanus'', '' Astylosternus rheophilus'', '' Leptodactylodon axillaris'', '' Leptodactylodon bicolor'', '' Leptodactylodon boulengeri'', '' Leptodactylodon erythrogaster'', '' Leptodactylodon mertensi'', '' Leptodactylodon polyacanthus'', '' Leptodactylodon perreti'', ''

Afrixalus lacteus ''Afrixalus lacteus'' is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is endemic to Cameroon and known from a few mountains in the western part of the country; specifically, it has been recorded from Mount Manengouba (its type locality), Mo ...

'', '' Hyperolius ademetzi'', '' Hyperolius riggenbachi'', '' Leptopelis nordequatorialis'', '' Xenopus amieti'', ''

Xenopus ''Xenopus'' () (Gk., ξενος, ''xenos''=strange, πους, ''pous''=foot, commonly known as the clawed frog) is a genus of highly aquatic frogs native to sub-Saharan Africa. Twenty species are currently described within it. The two best-know ...

'' species, '' Bufo villiersi'', ''

Werneria bambutensis ''Werneria bambutensis'' is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to western Cameroon where it occurs at high altitudes between Mount Manengouba and Mount Oku, including the eponymous Bamboutos Mountains. It is also known as ...

'', ''

Werneria tandyi ''Werneria tandyi'', also known as Tandy's torrent toad or Tandy's smalltongue toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to western Cameroon and known from Mount Manengouba and from the Rumpi Hills. The specific name ''t ...

'', ''

Wolterstorffina mirei ''Wolterstorffina mirei'' is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Cameroon and known from Mount Oku and the Bamboutos Mountains. Its natural habitats are montane grassland, and that in the dry season, areas near streams a ...

''. The following reptiles are also considered more or less endemic: '' Atractaspis coalescens'', Pfeffer's chameleon (''Trioceros pfefferi''), four-horned chameleon (''Trioceros quadricornis''), '' Leptosiaphos ianthinoxantha'', Angel's five-toed skink (''Lacertaspis lepesmei''), and the gecko '' Cnemaspis alantika''.

Urban areas and settlements

In Cameroon the mountains are quite heavily populated and used for farming and grazing; much of this ecoregion lies in the Northwest and Adamawa Regions. Towns include Bamenda, capital of the Northwest and base for visiting the mountains including Oku, the Kilum-Ijim Forest and

Lake Nyos Lake Nyos ( ) is a crater lake in the Region of Cameroon, located about northwest of Yaoundé, the capital. Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity ...

. In Nigeria the ecoregion is located mainly on the Mambila Plateau, an area of agricultural and grazing land in

Taraba State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Taraba.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Taraba State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , ...

Conservation and threats

The forest is continually being cleared for firewood, timber and to create farmland, and many of the mountains have lost significant amounts of forest cover. There is very little formal environmental protection.

Protected areas

6.9% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Gashaka-Gumti National Park,

Korup National Park Korup National Park is in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and extends over 1,260 km2 of mostly undisturbed primary forest. It is reputedly one of Africa’s oldest and richest tropical forests in terms of floral and faunal diversity. It is ...

Bayang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary The Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary found in Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa ...

, Santchou Faunal Reserve, Gangoro Forest Reserve,

Mai Samari Forest Reserve Mai, or MAI, may refer to: Names * Mai (Chinese surname) * Mai (Vietnamese surname) * Mai (name) * Mai (singer), J-Pop singer * Iris Mai (born 1962), German chess master Places * Chiang Mai, largest city in northern Thailand * Ma-i, a pre-Hispa ...

, Ngel-Nyaki Forest Reserve,

River Nwum Forest Reserve A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

Kakara Forest Reserve Kakara may refer to: *Kakara, Indonesia, an island in Indonesia *Kakara pitha, a cake associated with Odisha, India *Kakarajima, an island in Japan *Kokora, a village in Estonia {{disambiguation ...

, and Nguroje Forest Reserve.

References

External links

*
Mission for the preservation of drill monkeys
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameroonian Highlands forests Afromontane ecoregions Afrotropical ecoregions Ecoregions of Cameroon Ecoregions of Nigeria Forests of Cameroon Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests