Lower Guinean forests
Encyclopedia
The Lower Guinean forests is region of coastal tropical moist broadleaf forest
extending along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea
from eastern Benin
through Nigeria
and Cameroon
.
The Dahomey Gap
, a region of savanna and dry forest in Togo and Benin, divides the Lower Guinean forests from the Upper Guinean forests
to the west, which extend from Togo
to Guinea
. To the north and northeast, the Lower Guinean forests transition to the drier inland Guinean forest-savanna mosaic
and Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic
and to the south by the Congolian Coastal forests. To the east, the Lower Guinean forests adjoin the vast Coastal Congolian forests of the Congo Basin
, and to the southeast, the Lower Guinean forests are bounded by the Western Congolian forest-savanna mosaic.
The Lower Guinean forests share many biotic affinities with both the Upper Guinean forests
. They are collectively known as the Guinean Forests of West Africa
.
(WWF) divides the Lower Guinean forests into a number of distinct ecoregion
s:
The WWF has designated two regions of the Lower Guinean forests as Global 200
priority regions for conservation. The WWF's Coastal Congolian forests region includes the Cross-Sanaga Bioko coastal forests, São Tomé and Príncipe moist lowland forests, and Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests ecoregions. The Cameroon Highlands forests Global 200 region includes the Cameroonian Highlands forests and the Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests ecoregions.
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
extending along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
from eastern Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
through Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
.
The Dahomey Gap
Dahomey Gap
In West Africa, the Dahomey Gap refers to the portion of the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic that extends all the way to the coast in Benin, Togo and Ghana, thus separating the forest zone that covers much of the south of the region into two separate parts...
, a region of savanna and dry forest in Togo and Benin, divides the Lower Guinean forests from the Upper Guinean forests
Upper Guinean forests
The Upper Guinean forests is a tropical moist forest region of West Africa. The Upper Guinean forests extend from Guinea and Sierra Leone in the west through Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana to Togo in the east, and a few hundred kilometers inland from the Atlantic coast. A few enclaves of montane...
to the west, which extend from Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
to Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
. To the north and northeast, the Lower Guinean forests transition to the drier inland Guinean forest-savanna mosaic
Guinean forest-savanna mosaic
The Guinean forest-savanna mosaic is an ecoregion of West Africa, a band of interlaced forest, savanna, and grassland running east to west and dividing the tropical moist forests near the coast from the West Sudanian savanna of the interior.-Setting:...
and Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic
Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic
The Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic is a forest and savanna ecoregion of central Africa, part of the belt of transitional forest-savanna mosaic that lie between Africa's equatorial forests and the tropical dry forests, savannas, and grasslands that lie to the north and south...
and to the south by the Congolian Coastal forests. To the east, the Lower Guinean forests adjoin the vast Coastal Congolian forests of the Congo Basin
Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The 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...
, and to the southeast, the Lower Guinean forests are bounded by the Western Congolian forest-savanna mosaic.
The Lower Guinean forests share many biotic affinities with both the Upper Guinean forests
Upper Guinean forests
The Upper Guinean forests is a tropical moist forest region of West Africa. The Upper Guinean forests extend from Guinea and Sierra Leone in the west through Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana to Togo in the east, and a few hundred kilometers inland from the Atlantic coast. A few enclaves of montane...
. They are collectively known as the Guinean Forests of West Africa
Guinean Forests of West Africa
The Guinean forests of West Africa is a biodiversity hotspot designated by Conservation International, which includes the belt of tropical moist broadleaf forests along the coast of West Africa, running from Sierra Leone and Guinea in the west to the Sanaga River of Cameroon in the east...
.
Ecoregions
The World Wide Fund for NatureWorld Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
(WWF) divides the Lower Guinean forests into a number of distinct ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
s:
- Nigerian lowland forests (Togo, Nigeria)
- Niger Delta swamp forests (Nigeria)
- Cross-Niger transition forestsCross-Niger transition forestsThe Cross-Niger transition forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southeastern Nigeria, located between the Niger River on the west and the Cross River on the east...
(Nigeria) - Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forestsCross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forestsThe Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of west-central Africa. This is lush forest rich in flora and birdlife.-Location and description:...
(Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea) - Cameroonian Highlands forestsCameroonian Highlands forestsThe Cameroonian Highlands forests are a montane tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion located on the range of mountains that runs inland from the Gulf of Guinea and forms the border between Cameroon and Nigeria...
(Nigeria, Cameroon) - Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forestsMount Cameroon and Bioko montane forestsThe Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests ecoregion, of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, are in Afromontane habitats in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea of Africa.- Setting :...
(Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea) - São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón moist lowland forests (Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe)
- Atlantic Equatorial coastal forestsAtlantic Equatorial coastal forestsThe Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of central Africa, covering hills, plains, and mountains of the Atlantic coast of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.This is rich forest home...
(Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Cabinda (Angola) and Democratic Republic of the Congo)
The WWF has designated two regions of the Lower Guinean forests as Global 200
Global 200
The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund as priorities for conservation. According to the WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their...
priority regions for conservation. The WWF's Coastal Congolian forests region includes the Cross-Sanaga Bioko coastal forests, São Tomé and Príncipe moist lowland forests, and Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests ecoregions. The Cameroon Highlands forests Global 200 region includes the Cameroonian Highlands forests and the Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests ecoregions.
External links
- Guinean Forests of West Africa (Conservation International)
- Map of the Guinean Forests of West Africa (Conservation International) (PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
file) - Cameroon Highlands Forests Global 200 ecoregion (National Geographic)
- Congolian Coastal Forests Global 200 ecoregion (National Geographic)