Download - Mountain Research Initiative

African biodiversity hotspots and other
important conservation designations for
unique areas which may include mountains
SJ Taylor, AfroMont Programme Coordinator
4/7/2015
AFroMont, Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Pretoria, Hatfield,
South Africa
African biodiversity hotspots and other
important conservation designations for
unique areas which may include mountains
Contents
1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Biodiversity hotspots designation................................................................................................. 3
1.2 The Global Ecoregions designation ............................................................................................... 4
1.3 Other biodiversity designations of importance ............................................................................ 4
2.0 Examples of Global Ecoregions and Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa ................................................ 5
2.1 The Cameroon Highlands Global Ecoregion ................................................................................. 5
2.2. Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot ................................................................. 7
2.3 The Eastern Afromontane Hotspot ............................................................................................... 9
2.3.1 Vegetation of the Eastern Arc Mountains ............................................................................. 9
2.3.2 Flora of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot ......................................................................... 10
2.4 The Ethiopian Highlands ............................................................................................................. 12
2.5 The Congo Basin ecosystem........................................................................................................ 13
3.0 World Heritage Sites ....................................................................................................................... 15
4.0 Biosphere reserves.......................................................................................................................... 15
5.0 References ...................................................................................................................................... 15
1
1.0 Introduction
Africa has unique biodiversity, and many
biodiversity hotspots, Global Ecoregions,
biosphere reserves, World Heritage Sites,
trans-boundary parks, national parks and
other smaller nature areas. This review
contains a sample of the important hotspot
areas. Many of these important areas
encompass a wide range of ecosystems and
landscape features, notably wetlands, grasslands, savannas, mountains and mountain
forests.
Generally these areas are fabulously diverse in endemic species of global importance,
notably chimpanzee and gorillas, but are also significantly rich for plants, reptiles,
amphibians, birds and invertebrates. These areas contain important forests and mountain
ecosystems that are repositories of biodiversity and ecosystem services, notably the
provision of water to lowland communities and the maintenance of lake systems.
Importantly, the mountain and forest ecosystems
provide livelihoods for many millions of local people.
For example, the Virunga National Park, containing
the Mount Ruwenzori massif, is estimated to be
worth USD 49 million in forest products, tourism and
jobs, which could increase to USD 1 billion if
managed sustainably (WWF/Dalbert, 2013). As well
as this, is the global significance of these forests in
terms of carbon sequestration. Preserving Africa’s
surviving tropical forests and planting new trees to replace those lost to deforestation could
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help reduce the severity of climate change by absorbing more carbon from the air, and ease
the local impact of climate change by regulating local weather conditions. As well as this, the
burning of biomass that follows forest clearing releases the stored carbon back into the
atmosphere, exacerbating climate change (Fleshman, 2008).
Most of these biodiversity and forest rich areas are under threat from human activities and
some very valuable areas do not yet have formal protection, or are proclaimed, but
protection is not effective enough. There are many examples of proclaimed protected areas
are rapidly becoming ‘islands in a sea of deforestation’ with surrounding areas given over for
commercial and subsistence land use. Political decisions are often detrimental to long term
conservation efforts.
The Akagera National Park in Rwanda is a good
example of a protected area which has largely been
reassigned to accommodate returning refugees and
has lost much of its land area. The size of Akagera
National Park was reduced by approximately twothirds in 1997 to allow for the resettlement of large
numbers of refugees. Heavy grazing pressure,
agricultural encroachment, charcoal production,
the felling of trees for fuelwood and construction,
and deliberately set fires have seriously fragmented
Figure 1 : Map of Rwanda showing the Akagera
NP. Sourced from http://www.rwandadirect.com/rwanda-akagera-park/
the ecosystem. Wildlife populations are now
concentrated in scattered enclaves (UNEP atlas, n.d.).
1.1 Biodiversity hotspots designation
Biodiversity hotspots are designated biogeographic regions with a significant reservoir of
biodiversity which is under threat from human activities and need significant and
multidimensional protection. They are generally considered to contain the biologically
richest and most endangered terrestrial ecoregions to be found on Earth. To qualify as a
biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two criteria: the region must contain at least 0.5%
or 1 500 species of vascular plants as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 70% of its
primary vegetation. All biodiversity hotspots contain at least one Global 200 Ecoregion (see
below), a Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) designated area. Around the world, 25 areas
qualify under Global Ecoregion definition, with nine other possible candidates. These sites
support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with
a very high share of endemic species.
3
In Africa, designated biodiversity hotspots include the Cape Floristic Region, the Coastal
Forests of Eastern Africa, the Eastern Afromontane region, the Guinean Forests of West
Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, the MaputalandPondoland-Albany area and the Succulent Karoo.
1.2 The Global Ecoregions designation
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has derived a system called the ‘Global 200 Ecoregions’, the
aim of which is to select priority ecoregions for conservation within each of 14 terrestrial,
three freshwater, and four marine habitat types. These areas are chosen for their species
richness, endemism, taxonomic uniqueness, unusual ecological or evolutionary phenomena,
and global rarity. The aim of the Global Ecoregions analysis is to ensure that the full range of
ecosystems is represented within regional conservation and development strategies, so that
conservation efforts around the world contribute to a global biodiversity strategy (WWF,
n.d.). All biodiversity hotspots contain at least one Global 200 Ecoregion.
1.3 Other biodiversity designations of importance
Birdlife International has identified 218 ‘Endemic Bird Areas’
(EBAs) each of which hold two or more bird species found
nowhere else. Birdlife International has identified more than
11 000 Important Bird Areas around the world, including in
Africa.
Plantlife International has established the Important Plant
Areas. Important Plant Areas (IPA) to provide a framework
for identifying and maintaining the richest sites for plant life,
and IPAs are selected with the intention of focusing on the conservation of the important
wild plant populations in these areas, and act as a subset in the broader context of Key
Biodiversity Areas.
The Alliance for Zero Extinction is an initiative of a large number of scientific organizations
and conservation groups who co-operate to focus on the most threatened endemic species
of the world. They have identified 595 sites, including a large number of Birdlife’ s Important
Bird Areas.
Also, the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) approach helps to identify and designate areas of
international importance in terms of biodiversity conservation using globally standardised
criteria. KBAs extend the Important Bird Area (IBA) concept to other taxonomic groups and
are now being identified in many parts of the world, by a range of organisations. Examples
include Important Plant Areas (IPAs), Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in
4
the High Seas, Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites, Prime Butterfly Areas, Important
Mammal Areas and Important Sites for Freshwater Biodiversity with prototype criteria
developed for freshwater molluscs and fish and for marine systems. The determination of
KBAs often brings sites onto the conservation agenda that hadn't previously been identified
as needing protection due to the nature of the two non-exclusive criteria used to determine
them - vulnerability and irreplaceability (Wikipedia, 2015).
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a global program that provides funding and
technical assistance to nongovernmental organizations and participation to protect the
Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity including: biodiversity hotspots, highbiodiversity wilderness areas and important marine regions.
There are many other partnerships to conserve Africa’s biodiversity and forests, notably the
Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) and associated Congo Basin Forest
Partnership (CBFP). Many of these areas overlap.
2.0 Examples of Global Ecoregions and Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa
2.1 The Cameroon Highlands Global Ecoregion
The Cameroon Highlands has been designated as a Global Ecoregion with the Ecoregion
encompassing the mountains and highland areas of the border region between Nigeria and
Cameroon. This region lies within a narrow
rectangle 180 km by 625 km, oriented southwest
to northeast and originating about 50 km inland
of Mount Cameroon which is a coastal, volcanic
mountain linked to the ‘Cameroon volcanic line’,
a line of volcanic activity originating in an
offshore fault. The Cameroon Highlands Global
Ecoregion covers the Rumpi Hills, the Bakossi
Mountains, Mount Nlonako, Mount Kupe and
Mount Manengouba (WWF Cameroon, n.d.).
Seen as biologically ‘priceless’, this is one of the
least well-protected ecoregions in Africa, and although declared as a Global Ecoregion, no
part of this ecoregion is under formal protected status in Cameroon. Local traditional rulers
still exert considerable authority over land use, but under the pressures of today, this is not
necessarily enough to secure the species of the region (WWF Cameroon, n.d.).
5
The main section of the Bakossi Mountains (550 km²) has been proposed as ‘Protection
Forest’, banning all logging. Mount Kupe has been proposed as a ‘Strict Nature Reserve’,
while the forest at Mount Oku has some form of protection and the boundaries are well
demarcated (WWF Cameroon, n.d.).
Mt Cameroon is an active volcano that sits near the coast and rises from this mountain
range, but is considered a separate ecoregion from the older, non-volcanic Cameroonian
Highlands Forests. At 3 011 m, Mount Oku is the highest peak in this ecoregion. The
remainder of peaks are between 800-2600 m in elevation (WWF Cameroon, n.d.). Forest loss
caused by unsustainable exploitation of firewood, overgrazing, fire damage and agricultural
encroachment is the main threat to this ecoregion. Hunting also threatens the remaining
larger mammals (WWF Cameroon, n.d.).
World Resource Institute (WRI) atlas projects like the Cameroon Forest Atlas and the
collaborative process involved to develop the Atlas, provide a wealth of important
information to Cameroon decision makers responsible for forest (and mountain) governance
(Mertens et al, n.d.). Built on a geographic information system (GIS) platform, the atlas
provides unbiased and up-to-date information on the Cameroonian forest sector. One of its
main objectives is to strengthen forest management and land use planning by bringing all
major land use categories onto the same standardized platform (Mertens et al, n.d.).
6
2.2. Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot
The Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot covers all of the lowland forests of
west Africa, from Guinea and Sierra Leone eastward to the Sanaga River in Cameroon. This
hotspot region includes forests in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria,
which are now remnant fragments of the original forests. The hotspot also covers several
important montane regions, including the
Cameroon Highlands (Mt. Cameroon, at 4 095
meters, is the highest peak in West Africa) and
the Nimba Highlands. The hotspot also includes
four islands in the Gulf of Guinea: Bioko and
Annobon, which are both part of Equatorial
Guinea, and Sao Tomé and Principe, which
Figure 2: Map showing Guinean Forests
hotspot in red. Sourced from
http://www.microsfere.org/en/ghana/guineanforests-of-west-africa-biodiversity-hotspot.html
together form an independent nation. Bioko is a
continental-shelf island, whereas the remaining three
are oceanic (Microsfere, n.d.) (see Figure 1).
The Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot includes two distinct sub-regions,
which incorporate several important forest refugia created by the retraction and
fragmentation of forests during the Pleistocene Epoch (Microsfere, n.d.).
The first sub-region, Upper Guinea, stretches from southern Guinea into eastern Sierra
Leone and through Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana into western Togo. The second subregion, Nigeria-Cameroon, extends along the coast from western Nigeria to the Sanaga River
in southwestern Cameroon. The two sub-regions are separated by the Dahomeny Gap in
Benin, an area of farmland, savannah and highly degraded dry forest (Microsfere, n.d.).
BirdLife International has recognized six Endemic Bird Areas (EBA) as lying partly or entirely
within this hotspot. The Upper Guinea Forests EBA has 15 endemic bird species, and the
Cameroon Mountains EBA, which includes the island of Bioko, is the sole habitat of nearly 30
bird species. These montane regions support a number of endemics: the Mount Cameroon
francolin ( Francolinus camerunensis, EN) and the Mount Cameroon speirops ( Speirops
melanocephalus, VU) are endemic to Mount Cameroon, while the Mount Kupe bush-shrike
(Malaconotus kupeensis, EN) is largely confined to Mount Kupe, where only 21 square
kilometers of habitat remains (it has recently been discovered at two additional localities).
The conservation of the forests of Mount Oku is the last remaining hope for two species,
Bannerman's turaco ( Tauraco bannermani, EN) and the banded wattle-eye ( Platysteira
7
laticincta, EN), which are restricted to montane forests in the Bamenda-Banso highlands
(Microsfere, n.d.).
The Guinean Forests hotspot, of which the mountains in the South West region of
Cameroon is part, is home to an estimated 9 000 vascular plant species, about 20% (1 800
species) of which are thought to be endemic (25%). Nearly 2 500 plant species have been
recorded on Mount Cameroon alone (Microsfere, n.d.).
The biodiversity of Mount Bamboutos landscape is home to
endemic and globally threatened plants to primates such as
Ternstroemia sp and Allanblankia gabonensis, Cross River gorilla,
and Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). It is for this
reason that in 1900, the government classified it as a Forest
Reserve and in 2009, Cameroon government re-classified Mt
Bamboutos as a proposed ‘Integral Ecological Reserve’ (Status
IUCN 1.a.) (Microsfere, n.d.).
These mountains have been identified as some of Africa's most critical primate conservation
areas. As many as nine species are endemic to the forests of Nigeria and Cameroon border
region. The hotspot also has populations of two of Africa's great apes, including remaining
scattered populations of chimpanzees (IUCN Red List: EN) and Cross River gorillas endemic
to this area (IUCN Red List: CR). The area claims one-third of Africa's primate species. Large
mammals such as the African Forest Elephant still occur here in reasonable numbers with a
notable mountain subpopulation found on Mt
Cameroon (Microsfere, n.d.).
These mountain ecosystems also supply over
30% of the Cameroon food needs and harbor
the indigenous pastoralist Mbororo
community.
Mt. Bamboutos is very important in general for
its ecological services to the population in
Cameroon with between three to five million
people depending on the water resources from this mountain. About 30% of the Cameroon
energy needs (fire wood) is derived from the
Bamboutos mountain which are also
important touristic destinations nationally and internationally with Mt Cameroon receiving
over 3 000 tourists in a year. Mount Cameroon is also one of Africa's largest volcanoes, rising
to 4 095 m and is the biggest tourist attraction nationally with its outstanding beaches in the
8
city of Limbe. The mountain generates hundreds of millions of dollars into the local and
national economies due to its traditional, regional, national and international importance.
2.3 The Eastern Afromontane Hotspot
When combined with the Southern Rift, the
Albertine Rift and the Ethiopian Highlands, the
Eastern
Arc
Mountains
form
the
Eastern
Afromontane Ecoregion which is recognized globally
as one of the 34 biodiversity hotspots on earth,
characterized by high concentrations of endemic
species (EAMCEF, n.d.). The Eastern Afromontane
hotspot encompasses several widely scattered, but
biogeographically similar mountain ranges in eastern
Africa, from Saudi Arabia and Yemen in the north to
Zimbabwe in the south.
Figure 3: Eastern Afromontane biodiversity
hotspot. Source
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150
641
The main part of the hotspot's more than one million
km2 is made up of three ancient massifs (see adjacent map): the Eastern Arc Mountains and
Southern Rift which stretch from south-eastern Kenya to southern Tanzania and Malawi,
with small outliers in eastern Zimbabwe and western Mozambique; the Albertine Rift
includes portions of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of
Congo; In addition to these three main massifs, a number of outlying mountains are part of
this hotspot, including the neogene volcanics of the Kenyan and Tanzanian Highlands (e.g.,
Mt Kilimanjaro, Mt Meru, Mt Kenya, Mt Elgon, Aberdares Range, and other peaks); and the
Asir Mountains of southwest Saudi Arabia, the highlands of Yemen and the Chimanimani
Highlands of eastern Zimbabwe. Many of these massifs are volcanic in origin, and indeed
the Albertine Rift system includes the still-active Virunga Volcanoes (McGinley, 2009).
The Eastern Arc Mountain forests cover several major catchment areas which collectively
provide water for most of the nations’ coastal communities, including Dar-es-Salaam with its
population of over four million people and most of the major industries in the country.
Hydro-electric energy production in Tanzania is heavily dependent on maintaining the
integrity of these forests (EAMCEF, n.d.).
2.3.1 Vegetation of the Eastern Arc Mountains
In the Eastern Arc Mountains, vegetation types include upper montane, montane, submontane and lowland forests, with Afro-montane grassland and heathland plant
communities at higher altitudes. Grasslands are the primary habitats of the Southern Rift,
9
while forests are found in sheltered valleys and along mountain ridges. The main vegetation
type on the mountains of the Albertine Rift is montane forest. Glaciers and rock occur at the
highest altitudes, below which is alpine moorland with giant Senecio, giant Lobelia and bogs,
followed by zones of giant heather, bamboo, montane forest, mid-altitude forest, lowland
forest, woodland, and savanna. The Albertine Rift also has papyrus and Carex wetlands, as
well as hot springs and a peculiar type of sclerophytic vegetation that colonizes old lava
flows in the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (McGinley,
2009).
2.3.2 Flora of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot
The flora of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot shows great uniformity and continuity, with
its composition changing with increasing altitude. The lower altitudinal limit is between
1 500 and 2 000 meters, while the Knysna Forests in the Cape, which are considered to be
the southernmost reaches of the Afromontane habitat, are at 300 meters. The Eastern Arc
Mountains have over 1 100 species of endemic plants, as well as about 40 endemic plant
genera. Endemism is lower in the Southern Rift, with perhaps only 100 plant species
endemic. However, the grasslands of the Southern Rift are particularly rich in orchids
including more than 500 species, and plants of the genus Protea. The Nyika Plateau supports
nearly 215 orchid species, of which about four species and two subspecies are endemic
(McGinley, 2009).
The most widespread tree genus is Podocarpus, although Juniperus is found in drier forests
of northeastern and eastern Africa. A zone of bamboo is often found between 2 000 and
3 000 meters, above which there is often an Hagenia forest zone up to 3 600 meters. Many
species common in montane forest, such as trees of the genera Podocarpus and Juniperus
have economic importance, while several crops including coffee (Coffea arabica) and tef
(Eragrostis tef) from the Ethiopian Highlands have been domesticated (McGinley, 2009).
At the highest elevations, such as the Rwenzori Mountains, the Aberdares, Mt. Elgon, Mt.
Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya, and the Bale and Simien Mountains in Ethiopia, Afro-alpine
vegetation typically occurs above 3 400 meters. Afro-alpine vegetation is characterized by
the presence of giant senecios (Dendrosenecio spp.), giant lobelias (Lobelia spp.), and
Helichrysum scrub (McGinley, 2009).
The Albertine Rift is home to about 14 % (about 5 800 species) of mainland Africa's plant
species, with more than 550 endemic species, including three endemic genera:
Afroligusticum, Micractis, Rhaesteria.
The Ethiopian Highlands harbor an estimated 5,200 plant species, of which 555 are
endemic. The genus Senecio is particularly diverse, with half of the two dozen species found
10
nowhere else. This area also has a monotypic endemic genus, Nephrophyllum abyssinicum,
which is found on heavily grazed pastures, open ground, and rocky areas on steep slopes
between 1 650 and 2 700 meters. African violets (Saintpaulia spp.) from this region are
globally known as a pot plant, but there are with up to 20 endemic species of Saintpaulia in
the Eastern Arc Mountains. There are also about 13 endemic species of African primroses
(Streptocarpus spp.) in the Eastern Arc Mountains, and 18 endemic species of Impatiens in
the Albertine Rift (McGinley, 2009).
About 1 300 bird species occur in the Eastern Afromontane
Hotspot, and about 110 of these are found nowhere else. The
Eastern Arc and Southern Rift Mountains form a single
Endemic Bird Area, as defined by BirdLife International.
Other mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates are
also highly endemic and notable (McGinley, 2009). However,
the most charismatic flagship species of the Albertine
Rift, and indeed of the entire hotspot, are the great
apes. The well-known mountain gorilla (Gorilla
beringei beringei, CR) is restricted to about 380
individuals in the Virungas. Grauers gorilla (G.b.
graueri, EN), was estimated to number about 16 900
in eastern DRC in 1996, but has since suffered major
declines as a result of hunting, habitat loss and
degradation. Although there are robust chimpanzees
(Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in many of the Albertine Rift forests, their populations are
generally small (McGinley, 2009).
The forests of the Albertine Rift are also home to at least 27 other primate species, including
Hoests monkey (Cercopithecus lhoesti), the owl-faced monkey (C. hamlyni), and the golden
monkey (C. mitis kandti). Other mammals iinclude the Ruwenzori duiker (Cephalophus
rubidus, EN), which is restricted to the Rwenzori Mountains, and the Ruwenzori otter shrew
(Micropotamogale ruwenzorii, EN), one of only three representatives of the family
Tenrecidae on the African mainland (McGinley, 2009).
The primary threat to the biodiversity of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot is habitat loss,
due to conversion of land for agriculture, plantations and commercial estates, as well as
logging. Other threats include fires, mining, infrastructure development, gathering of
firewood and collection of plants for medicinal use, while hunting and disease have led to
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major declines in the populations of many species. It is estimated that only about 10 % of
the hotspot's original vegetation remains in pristine condition (McGinley, 2009).
Nearly 12 % of the Albertine Rift is protected in parks, game reserves, and forest reserves.
The largest of these protected areas is the 8 000 km2 Virunga National Park, which links with
Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori Mountains, and
Semuliki National Park in Uganda to form the 12 800 km2 Greater Virunga Landscape.
Other important areas in the Albertine Rift include the asyet-unprotected Itombwe Massif, the 6 000 km2 KahuziBiega National Park in the DRC, Kibale and Bwindi
Impenetrable National Parks in Uganda, and Nyungwe
National Park in Rwanda. Virunga, Rwenzori Mountains,
Bwindi Impenetrable and Kahuzi-Biega are all World
Heritage Sites (McGinley, 2009).
Since 2001, a process supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has
sought to develop a strategic framework for conservation and joint planning for protected
areas in the Albertine Rift. This process brings together NGOs, protected area authorities,
and government ministries in each country (McGinley, 2009).
2.4 The Ethiopian Highlands
The Ethiopian Highlands covers much of Ethiopia (See Figure 3), as well as small parts of
Eritrea, Djibouti, and Sudan, and is bisected by the Great Rift Valley. In the Ethiopian
Highlands, the foothills support woodland vegetation,
while forests at slightly higher elevations are dominated
by conifers.
Above 3 000 meters, the Afroalpine ecosystem consists
of grassland and moorland, with an abundant herb
layer, while the heathland scrub above this is dominated
by heathers (McGinley, 2009). The high plateaus of the
Ethiopian Highlands are home to the giant Lobelia
rhynchopetalum, which grows to a height of about 2-3
Figure 4: The Ethiopian Highlands.
Sourced from
https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/html
/African%20primates/section5f29.html
meters before sending up a single inflorescence of dark
blue-purple flowers that can reach a height of nine
meters. Every few years, the lobelias have a musth year
when the great majority of plants flower (McGinley, 2009).
12
In
the
Ethiopian
Highlands,
the
Ethiopian
Wildlife
Conservation Organization (EWCO) was established in 1964
with
the
assistance
of
international
conservation
organizations. The EWCO is plagued by a lack of resources
and legislation that has been impossible to enforce.
Although a system of conservation areas was proposed to
form the basis of wildlife conservation in the country, only
two of the planned 14 national parks and sanctuaries have
been legally constituted, namely Awash National Park and Simien Mountains National Park.
These two parks are not adequately secured, staffed or equipped, and management
difficulties have been exacerbated by famines, refugee problems, civil unrest, armed
rebellions, and war, which threaten the livelihoods of people and make it unlikely that
conservation measures will be implemented (McGinley, 2009).
The most important of the conservation areas in
Ethiopia is the Bale Mountains National Park, which,
while a formal national park, it is yet to be officially
gazetted. This Key Biodiversity Area harbors the ‘finest
and most intact’ remnants of the highlands' original
vegetation. These mountains are also home to more
than half of the global population of the Ethiopian wolf. The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation
Program (EWCP) has been working in the Bale Mountains for several decades to secure the
conservation of areas of Afro-alpine ecosystem, to assess, address and counteract threats to
the wolf's survival (McGinley, 2009).
2.5 The Congo Basin
ecosystem
The Congo Basin begins in the
highlands of the East African Rift
system with input from the
Chambeshi River, the Uele and
Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches
and the Lualaba River draining
wetlands in the middle reaches and
Figure 5: Congo Basin conservation regions. Sourced
from
http://www.cuvettecentrale.info/frameContent/home.
html
finally entering the Congo River. Over 80%
of this landscape are Guineo-Congolean
forests, with two areas of afro-montane
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forests 2 000 km apart in Cameroon and the Albertine Rift of Eastern DRC. Although this vast
forest block is commonly referred to as the Congo basin, strictly speaking it is spread over
several watersheds (Congo, Sanaga, Ntem, Ogooué, Nyanga, Niari and Kouilou) but with the
Congo River watershed covering by far the largest area. Roughly two thirds of the central
African moist forests are drained by the Congo River and 50% of these forests fall within the
DRC (WHS, 2010). See Figure 4 and 5.
The forests of the Congo Basin account for about a sixth of the world’s remaining tropical
forest cover and are among the most biodiverse places on earth. The sub-region’s forests
also provide food, materials and shelter to some 40 million people. Yet close to 0.5 million
hectares of these forests are being lost each year, due mainly to illegal and destructive
logging activities that benefit from – and reinforce – widespread corruption and weak
governance in the sub-region (WWF, 2011). An international moratorium on logging in the
Congo forest was agreed with the World Bank and the DRC in May 2002. The World Bank
agreed to provide $90 million of development aid to the DRC with the proviso that the
government did not issue any new concessions granting logging companies rights to exploit
the forest. The deal also prohibited the renewal of existing concessions.
In 1999, the Yaoundé Summit, a meeting of heads of state from the Congo Basin countries
(Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, DRC, Rwanda
and Uganda), led to partner countries agreeing to jointly manage the forests of the Congo
Basin sustainably. Since then, millions of acres have been protected, new initiatives on
bushmeat and anti-poaching have been put in place, and sustainable forestry is beginning to
be established. In 2005, a follow up summit, the Brussels Summit, sought to reinforce the
initiative and review successes and challenges.
Other meetings of the Central African Regional Programme for the Environment (CARPE)
led to the identification of 12 important landscapes: Monte-Alen-Monts de Cristal, GambaMavumba-Conkouati, Lope-Chailu-Louesse, Dja-Odzala-Minkebe, Sangha Tri-National,
Econi-Bateke-Lefini, LacTele-Lac-Tumba, Selonga-Lukenie-Sankuru, Maringa-Lapori-Wamba,
Maiko-Tayna-KahuziBiega, Ituri-Epulu-Aru and Virunga. The 12 landscapes form the Congo
Basin that spans an area of 680 300 km2 across Cameroon, the Central African Republic,
Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, DRC, Rwanda and Uganda.
At the Johannesburg Earth Summit in 2002, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) was
launched. The Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is a non-profit initiative to promote the
conservation and responsible management of the Congo Basin's tropical forests. The project
aims to improve the techniques and information sharing of involved organizations. It is led
by the United States and sponsored by more than 40 international governments and
investors (CBFP, n.d.).
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There is now also a treaty in place on the Conservation and Sustainable Development of
the Forest Ecosystems of Central Africa in place (2006), ratified by 10 signatory states to
also assist in the protect this area. To implement the Treaty, a sub-regional organization,
called ‘Central Africa Forests Commission’ (COMIFAC) was established. COMIFAC is an
organization set up to guide, harmonize and monitor forest and environmental policies in
Central Africa. The COMIFAC Convergence Plan defines the common intervention strategies
of the States and development partners of Central Africa in the conservation and sustainable
management of forest ecosystems (COMIFAC, n.d.).
3.0 World Heritage Sites
The African continent's three highest mountains are all in East Africa and all three are
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are Mount Kilimanjaro, Mt Kenya and the Rwenzori
range. While Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya are volcanoes, the Rwenzori range is more
ancient, pushed up from the surrounding plateau during the formation of the western
(Albertine) branch of the Great Rift Valley.
These three mountains all support
permanent glaciers, although these will
only remain a few more decades because
of global warming.
The other World Heritage Site mountains
in Africa are South Africa's Drakensberg and Ethiopia's Simien Mountains, two of Africa's
most spectacular escarpments. The only world heritage mountain is Mount Nimba, located
on the borders of Guinea, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, and west Africa's highest point and
home to many unique species that have evolved in isolation on this remote mountain (ANH,
2014). Interestingly, iron ore is mined on Mt Nimba. The iron ore deposit is located at the base
of Mount Nimba, and is one of the highest iron ore peaks in Africa.
4.0 Biosphere reserves
There are 64 UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) biosphere reserves in 28 countries in Sub-Saharan
Africa. The biosphere reserve concept aims at simultaneously help preserve biological diversity,
enhance development and empower poor rural people. The full list of biospheres reserves in the
28 African countries can be found at http://wikitravel.org/en/UNESCO_World_Heritage_List#Africa
5.0 References
AfriMab (2013). Biosphere reserves in Sub-Saharan Africa. UNESCO MAB programme. Document
sourced online at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002269/226919E.pdf
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ANH (2014). Africa Natural Heritage. Sourced online at
http://www.africannaturalheritage.org/Mountains/
CBFP (n.d.). The Congo Basin Forestry Partnership. Online promotional material, sourced at
http://pfbc-cbfp.org/comifac_en2.html
COMIFAC (n.d.). The COMIFAC Convergence Plan, 2005. Online promotional material, sourced online
at http://pfbc-cbfp.org/comifac_en2.html
EAMCEF (n.d.). Eastern Arc Mountain Conservation Endowment Fund. Online material. Sourced
online at http://www.easternarc.or.tz/fund.
Fleshman M (2008). Saving Africa’s forests, the ‘lungs of the world’. African Renewal online. Sourced
online at http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/january-2008/saving-africa%E2%80%99sforests-%E2%80%98lungs-world%E2%80%99
McGinley M (2009). Biological diversity in the Eastern Afromontane. Encyclopedia of Earth. Sourced
online at http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150641/
Mertens B, Shu G N and Steil M (n.d.). Interactive Forest Atlas Of Cameroon. Version 3.0 | Overview
Report. Sourced online at http://www.microsfere.org/en/ghana/guinean-forests-of-west-africabiodiversity-hotspot.htmldata.wri.org/forest_atlas/cmr/report/cmr_atlas_v3_eng.pdf
Microsfere (n.d.). Guinean Forests of West Africa Biodiversity hotspot. Microsfere organisation,
Sourced online at http://www.microsfere.org/en/ghana/guinean-forests-of-west-africa-biodiversityhotspot.html
UNEP Atlas (n.d.). Akagera National Park. Environmental Change Hotspots Atlas.
http://www.na.unep.net/atlas/webatlas.php?id=275
WHS (2010). World Heritage in the Congo Basin. UNESCO publication. Sourced online from
file:///C:/Users/Richard/Downloads/activity-43-10.pdf
Wikipedia (2015). Key Biodiversity Area. Sourced online at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Biodiversity_Area
WWF Cameroon (n.d.). Cameroon Highlands Forests - A Global Ecoregion/ Information sourced
online at http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/cameroon_highlands_forests.cfm
WWF (n.d.). About Global Ecoregions. Information sourced online at
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/
WWF (2011). WWF position statement: Congo Basin Forests. Sourced online at
http://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/2011_05_25__final_wwf_congo_basin_position
_statement.pdf
WWF/Dahlberg (2013). The Economic Value of Virunga National Park. WWF International, Gland,
Switzerland. Sourced online at
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http://awsassets.wwfnz.panda.org/downloads/the_economic_value_of_virunga_national_park_lr.p
df
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