Faro National Park (6111)
Cameroon, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Faro National Park
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.1667, Longitude: 12.6667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 250 to 1010
Area of KBA (km2): 3418.22634
Protected area coverage (%): 98.45
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Faro National Park is a large block of Sudanian savanna on gently undulating terrain at 250–500 m. It lies close to the Nigerian border to the west and is surrounded on the eastern side by Hunting Reserves. A few rocky hills or massifs rise to 700–1,000 m. The park is enclosed between two large sandy, perennial rivers, the Faro on the north-east and the Déo along the western side, which flows into the Faro in the extreme north. Vegetation-types include tall Isoberlinia woodland in the south, shorter, more open, mixed woodland or wooded grassland in the north and dry deciduous riparian forest or woodland interspersed with patches of semi-evergreen forest and thickets (best developed along the Faro). The level of the Déo and Faro rivers undergoes much seasonal variation and numerous sandbars become uncovered in the dry season.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 3 for key species. A initial short survey identified 243 species (the potential is over 300), with Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome species well represented. These include Anthoscopus parvulus (known from few other sites in Cameroon), the little-known Cisticola dorsti (common in wooded grassland in the north) and Drymocichla incana (common in semi-evergreen riparian forest and thickets). A population of Campethera abingoni (a local species in West Africa) inhabits the dense semi-evergreen forests on the Faro river. Apus horus and Merops hirundineus are other species with few Cameroon records that occur in Faro. Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals include Taurotragus derbianus (LR/nt) and Damaliscus lunatus korrigum (VU), reported to exist in small numbers, and quite a few Loxodonta africana (EN).
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 19 | |
| Forest | 80 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Faro was established as a Faunal Reserve in 1947 and upgraded to a National Park in 1980. Only the eastern border of the park is accessible by road and there are no tracks within it. Although there may be some encroachment on the western side, including by pastoralists from Nigeria, the eastern sections appear intact. Poaching of large mammals is a problem locally, but does not seem to affect the birdlife; illegal gold mining on the Faro river, however, causes some disturbance.
Additional information
References: Dowsett-Lemaire and Dowsett (1999b).