wildlife & Habitat

Introduction

Bakossi National Park is a biodiversity jewel of the Cameroon Highlands. Its dramatic altitude range from 300 m to 1,895 m above sea level creates a variety of ecosystems from lush Atlantic forests to expansive cloud forests, the largest in West and Central Africa. This diversity of habitats supports an astonishing array of flora and fauna, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

Habitats & Ecosystems

1. Sub-Montane Forests (300–1,000 m asl)

Characterized by semi-deciduous elements.
Rich in Caesalpiniaceae trees and lianas.
Provides food and shelter for primates and small mammals.

2. Atlantic North-West Forest

Unique because it is not dominated by Caesalpiniaceae, unlike other Atlantic forests.
Contains semi-deciduous plant species and a mix of tropical hardwoods.
Important refuge for amphibians like Astylosternus spp. and Conraua robusta.

3. Montane Cloud Forests (above 1,000 m asl)

The largest intact tract in West and Central Africa.
Constantly bathed in mist, home to mosses, orchids, ferns, and rare flowering plants.
Critical habitat for primates, birds, and endemic amphibians.

Mammals & Primates

For mammals, the area is home to many primate species including the highly endangered Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), and the Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), Preuss’s monkey (Cercopithecus preussi), Red-eared monkey (Cercopithecuserythrotis), Putty-nosed guenon (Cercopithecus nictitans), Red-capped Mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus), and Preuss’ Red Colobus (Piliocolobus pennanti preussi) (Faucher, 1999), including the mona monkey (Cecopithecus mona) (WWF, 2009).

Ungulate species such as the red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus) are still widespread over much of the Park. There are also important numbers of Red fronted duiker (Cephalophus spp), Blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola) and the Sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekei) (WWF, 2009).

Research studies have not reported Forest elephants (Loxodonta africana cyclotis) in the area. However, they still occur in low numbers in parts of southern Bakossi along the Mungo River (Wild et al., 2004) and in the adjacent Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary (WCS, —), which could be a potential for migration into the BNP

Amphibians & Reptiles

Leptodactylodon wildi is an amphibian species endemic to the Bakossi area, with known specimens only from the vicinity of the villages of Kodmin and Edib in the Bakossi Mountains, 1,000 – 1,350m asl (WWF, 2010). In the Bakossi area, amphibians have importance beyond conservation per se. They are used as food, cultural practices and beliefs and the international pet trade (Ngonwouo and Rodel, 2008). Some species collected for food include Conraua crassipes, C. goliath, C. robusta, Trichobatrachus robustus, Astylosternus spp., Xenopus amieti, and Kassina decorata. Trichobatrachus robustus is particularly harvested for the international pet trade; it is reported that the males of this species are mystical, and important in alleviating barrenness in childless couples who eat them (Ngonwouo and Rodel, 2008).

Commonly called the goliath frog, it is highly exploited as a protein source and is regarded as a delicacy in the landscape. Appraisal meetings indicated that the goliath frog can be found in all the clusters of the BNP. As degradation increases, the frogs migrate further into the forest, with some communities experiencing local extinction.

Reptiles

Forests within the Bakossi Banyang-Mbo landscape are endowed with rich reptilian diversity. Study by Bayern, (2014) shows that among the reptilian species are the following existing within the Bakossi Landscape:

Some reptile species recorded the BBM Landscape

Common name	Scientific name	IUCN status	CITES Status
Gaboon Viper	Bitis gabonica	NA	NA
Cobra	Naja sp	NA	NA
Green mamba	Dendroas pisjamensoni	NA	NA
African Rock Python	Python sebae	NA	II
Nile Monitor Lizard	Veranus niloticus	NA	NA
Nile crocodile	Crocodylus niloticus	Low Risk	II
African dwarf crocodile	Osteolaemus tetraspis	Threatened	I

Of these, the African dwarf crocodile is a threatened species (Crocodile Specialist Group 1996) and listed in CITES Appendix 1. as it is usually and easily hunted at night after identification of their burrows in the day by hunters.

Flora

A conservation checklist, The Plants of Kupe, Mwanenguba and the Bakossi Mountains, Cameroon, published by RBG Kew, reveals that this area contains 2,412 vascular plant species (updated to 2,440 following the returned RBG Kew – National Herbarium of Cameroon expedition), of which 82 are strictly endemic to the checklist area and 232 are Red Data taxa, i.e. threatened with extinction according to IUCN 2001 criteria. This is the fourth conservation checklist to have been compiled by Kew scientists in Cameroon to document the plants and enable identification and better management of threatened plant species by local inhabitants (Cheek and Cable, 1998).

Dispersed tree species of Combretaceae, Burceracae an abundance of indigenous species. The southern part of the Mountain is made up of a continuous altitudinal zonation of tropical montane cloud forest to lowland rainforest coverage of 200 Km²area above 1000 m altitude with tree species such as Meliaceae (Bosse, Dibetu, Sappelli); Sapotaceae; Caesalpiniacea; Combrataceae; Burseracae; Bombacacae; Mimosacae; Moracae; Steculiacae; Ochnacae (report of the classification committee of the proposed Bakossi national Park, 2004). The vegetation in the MuanengubaMountain is savannah with few trees and a marshy area. The area is shown to be richer in plant species diversity than the adjacent Mt.Cameroon. With 2,435(37%) plant species out of the 6.500 recorded in Cameroon, it is therefore the richest rainforest site in Central and West Africa. Over 76 plant species have been found to be endemic to the area.

wildlife & Habitat

Ecotourism