Academic literature on the topic 'Korup National Park Cameroon'

A total of 390 bird species are known to occur in the Korup National Park (KNP) and the surrounding Korup Project Area (KPA). Although the avifauna of KNP is incompletely known, it is already among the most ornithologically diverse lowland forest sites i n Africa. The avian diversity of the KPA is increased by the montane forest bird species of the Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve (RHFR) and the Nta Ali Forest Reserve (NAFR). The lowland and montane forests of the KNP/KPA are very important to the conservation of African forest birds. Four species found in the Korup area are considered globally threatened, and four are considered near-threatened. In addition, 40 species were considered for threatened status, some of which are likely future additions to the threatened list. Twelve of Korup's 36 montane forest bird species are endemic to the montane areas of western Cameroon, eastern Nigeria, and Bioko (Fernando Po). The RHFR is especially important as a refuge for montane birds because much of the montane forest elsewhere in western Cameroon has been cleared for agriculture. Breeding phenology data are provided for many lowland forest species. Additionally, this report provides information on many rarely recorded species for western Cameroon, including several species not previously documented in the region. Kemp's Longbill Macrosphenus ketnpi was recorded for the first time in Cameroon. Because it is sympatric with the Yellow Longbill M. flavicans in Korup, additional evidence now exists for the contention that M. ketnpi and M.flavicans are separate species. The Yellow-chested Apalis Apalisflavidawas also documented for the first time in Cameroon.

Background and aims – Cola, the second largest genus of the Malvaceae-Sterculioideae comprises 100–135 small to large tree species confined in nature to African forests, though cultivated elsewhere. Current species distribution ranges show that the genus is highly diverse in the seasonally wet forests along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, including the Korup National Park (KNP). In this paper we examine the diversity and abundance of Cola in KNP compared to other forests for which comparable data are available. We also describe two novelties in the genus.Methods – We used inventory data from a 50-ha permanent plot in southern KNP where all Cola trees and saplings down to 1 cm in diameter were tagged, mapped and identified. Additional collections of the genus came from the 11 km trail leading to the plot. Classic herbarium techniques and field observations were used for the morphological identification and description of specimens at MO and YA and from our personal collections. Cola species richness and abundance was estimated from the plot data and compared to other African forest sites for which comparable data are available. The evaluation of the conservation status of the two new species described in this paper followed the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Key results – Twenty-five species of Cola were identified in the southern part of the KNP, including four undescribed species, raising the total number of Cola species in Cameroon to 46. The abundance of the genus in KNP was three orders of magnitude higher than in the Rabi forest in southwestern Gabon or in the Ituri forest in eastern D.R. Congo. This high species richness and abundance suggests that KNP is part of the center of diversity of the genus. Two new species, Cola zemagoana Kenfack & D.W.Thomas and C. mamboana Kenfack & Sainge are described and illustrated. Both species are only known from the lowland rainforest of southwestern Cameroon. Cola zemagoana is narrow endemic of southern KNP and its conservation status is assessed as Endangered. Cola mamboana is confined to the lowland forests of southwestern Cameroon, is locally very abundant in protected areas and is also assigned the conservation status Endangered.