Mount Mbam (6117)
Cameroon, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Mount Mbam
Central coordinates: Latitude: 5.9500, Longitude: 10.7333
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1100 to 2335
Area of KBA (km2): 132.20986
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mount Mbam, also known as the Mbam Hill Forest, is a massif situated between the towns of Foumban and Jakiri and includes about 2,000 ha of montane forest, mainly on the plateau at about 2,000 m. The massif is an abrupt, isolated mountain with montane savanna grassland mixed with large patches of gallery forest on the plateau and the slopes, where they line the numerous streams, some of which are seasonal and some permanent. Many large forest patches extend down to about 1,400 m. The numerous galleries on the plateau range between 5 m and 100 m in width and 500–1,000 m or more in length. The forest is dominated by Albizia gummifera, Polyscias fulva and Schefflera mannii while other common species include Syzygium guineense, Carapa procera, Ficus spp., Nuxia congesta, Olea capensis, Croton macrostachyus and Eugenia gilgii. Emergent shrubs in the Sporobolus africanus grassland include Hypericum revolutum, H. riparium and Agauria salicifolia. The hills are dotted with small settlements of mainly Fulani cattle grazers. Population densities at lower altitudes are higher, with at least 10 villages at the foot of the hills.
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) KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Guinea Forests of West Africa Hotspot (2015). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat status follow the 2013 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. A total of 137 species have so far been recorded. The mountain holds important numbers of Tauraco bannermani, probably the second-largest population after Mount Oku (CM012). Apalis bamendae is not uncommon and occurs at 2,050 m in company with Apalis cinerea, A. pulchra and A. jacksoni. Four species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04) and 10 of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome (A05) also occur (Table 3). Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 33 | |
| Forest | 33 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Although human settlements in the uplands are so few that their impact on forest ecology is minimal, hunters from the lower villages burn down large patches of the forests annually. Numerous debarked Prunus africana trees were seen, many with regenerating stems. A small NGO is working in the area and is interested in the protection of the forests.
Additional information
References: Njabo and Languy (2000).