Global 200 Ecoregions

Protecting Africa's Richest Rainforests
Guinean-Congolean forests

Map of Guinean-Congolean region
 
Major Habitat Type
Tropical Moist Forest

Biogeographic Region
Afrotropical

Location
Central and West Africa



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Biological Diversity

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Summary


The tropical moist forests of Africa are the richest ecosystems of the continent and are thought to house more than half of Africa's biota. The major block of forest, the Guinea-Congolean region, which extends in a broken ribbon from Senegal in West Africa to Uganda and northern Angola, are home to 84 percent of Africa's primate species, 68 per cent of its passerine (perching) birds, 66 percent of the continent's butterfly species, and the richest termite faunas in the world. These forests are also thought to contain more than 8,000 plant species, making it one of the richest floristic communities in Africa. Two ecoregions are the focus of this discussion: the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolian Coastal Forests of the Atlantic region of Central Africa.

Some of the region's most important blocks of intact rainforest are found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria and Zaire. While WWF is working to conserve forests and promote the sustainable use of forest resources in most of these countries, it has also focused on developing exemplary projects. One of these is in the Cross River National Park in Nigeria.

Lying to the east of the Niger River delta near the Cameroon border, the area encompasses a diverse array of habitats such as upland, gallery and swamp forests, mangroves, and estuarine and freshwater habitats. The Cross River sustains one of the largest remaining blocks of mangroves in West and Central Africa and is known for its rich and highly distinctive freshwater fish fauna. The forests contain some of the richest animal and plant life in Africa, with a high proportion of endemic species.

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