Ebo Wildlife Reserve
| Ebo Wildlife Reserve | |
|---|---|
Uvariopsis submontana growth in Ebo Wildlife Reserve | |
Map of Cameroon | |
| Location | Littoral Region, Cameroon |
| Coordinates | 4°19′08″N 10°19′48″E / 4.319°N 10.33°E[1] |
| Area | 1,417 km2 (547 sq mi) |
The Ebo Wildlife Reserve is protected area and proposed national park in Cameroon that covers 1,417 km2 (547 sq mi) of lowland and montane forest mosaic with a high proportion of disturbed forest.[2]
Geography and history
Ebo Forest is 20 km north of the Sanaga River. The Ebo Forest Research Station was established in April 2005, and preliminary biological inventories suggest the Ebo Forest has comparable biodiversity to other centres of endemism in the Cameroon-Nigeria highlands region.[3]
Forty nearby communities—including those of the Banen people—rely on the forest's wildlife for food, water, medicine and culture.[4]
Wildlife
Being half of the Yabassi Key Biodiversity Area, Ebo Forest is the most intact ecosystemystem in the Gulf of Guinea.[5]
The critically endangered Preuss's red colobus has been recorded within the area.[6] Other animals there include Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees, western gorillas, goliath frogs, African forest elephants, Drills, grey-necked rockfowls and grey parrots.[3]
During a research trip, biologist Ekwoge Abwe discovered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees cracking nuts and using sticks to collect termites, the only known chimpanzees to do so. Another biologist, Bethan Morgan, observed a possibly undescribed gorilla subspecies in the area. In 2011, the Cameroonian government created the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee Action Plan.[5]
Logging
On 4 February 2020, minister of forestry Jules Doret Ndongo and prime minister Joseph Ngute enacted two proposals to reclassify Ebo Forest for logging, both of which cover most of the forest. A group of scientists sent a letter to Ngute for the reversion of the proposals,[5] and the decision was reverted.[7][8] In July, it was redesignated for logging, a decision which was again reverted in August.[9] In 2022, a road began construction through the southern portion of the forest,[10] but was later suspended. On 27 April 2023, the area was reclassified for logging.[11][12]
References
- ^ "Ebo". Protected Planet. Accessed 15 June 2020. [1]
- ^ "Ebo | Protected Planet". Protected Planet. Archived from the original on 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ a b "Ebo Forest: A Stronghold for Cameroon's Wildlife". Global Wildlife Conservation. 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ^ Frost, Rosie (2020-08-14). "Cameroon halts plans for logging in biodiversity hotspot". living. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ^ a b c "Ebo Forest: A hotspot for conservation research under threat". Wilder Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ Linder, J.; Morgan, B.J.; Abwe, E.E.; Jost Robinson, C.A.; Imong, I.; Oates, J.F. (2019). "Piliocolobus preussi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T41026A92633245. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T41026A92633245.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Akinwotu, Emmanuel (2020-08-11). "'Our dead are buried there': Ebo logging decree sparks anger in Cameroon". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ Akua, Nalova (2024-07-11). ""All is lost"?: Cameroon's controversial logging in biodiverse Ebo forest". African Arguments. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ "A plan to allow logging in Cameroon's biologically rich Ebo Forest was halted, but the area remains vulnerable". Global Voices. 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ Atabong, Amindeh Blaise (2024-11-25). "Logging persists in Cameroon's wildlife-rich Ebo Forest despite warnings". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ "Logging begins in Cameroon's Ebo forest, putting communities and rare biodiversity at risk". www.fern.org. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ Bongben, Leocadia (2023-08-01). "Cameroon government again opens way for logging in Ebo Forest". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 2025-06-19.