List of Biggest Forests in Africa

Here is a List of Biggest Forests in Africa

The following are the major forests in Africa summarized to include the following

Congo forest

Congo Forest is Africa’s largest forest and the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world covering about 695,000 square miles. This forest covers portions of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Wildlife in Congo Forest include; giant mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, pygmy hippopotamus, antelopes, wild boars, buffalos and white rhino. Crocodiles also live throughout the Congo River and many types of fish; perch, catfish. Snakes species include the cobra, green mambas, puff adders and python survive in the rainforest. Birds include; eagle, hawk and oil, heron.

Mau Forest

Mau Forest is a forest in the Rift Valley of Kenya. It is the largest indigenous montane forest in East Africa with an area of 273,300 hectares (675,000 acres). Elephant, Mountain Bongo, Oryx, gerenuk, elephant, baobab, lesser kudu, African wild dog, lion kori bustard, ground hornbill, ostrich, yellow collared lovebird, rufous tailed weaver and ashy starling, Eland, Spotted Hyena, Blue Monkey, Black-And-White Colobus and Greater Flaming.

The forest has the highest rainfall rates in Kenya.
Mau Forest is the largest water catchment area in Kenya
Numerous rivers originate from the forest, including Southern Ewaso Ng’iro, Sondu River, Mara River and Njoro River.
These rivers feed Lake Victoria; Lake Nakuru and Lake Natron Westerns slopes of the Mau

Ongoye Forest

Ongoye Forest is situated on a granite ridge, inland from the town of Mtunzini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa covering an area of 4000 hectares. Coordinates: 28°50′48″S 31°43′56″E / 28.84667°S 31.73222°E. The vegetation in Ongoye Forest includes; Natal olinia, Natal palm-nut, Giant Umzimbeet, Forest Mangosteen, Forest Waterberry, Giant Pock Ironwood, Zulu Bead-string, Natal Krantz Ash, Natal White Stinkwood and the Pondo Fig.The wildlife in the forest includes; Woodward`s barbet, crowned eagle, yellow streaked bulbul, spotted thrush, Red Bush Squirrel, Dwarf Chamaeleons, Butterfly (Euryphura achlys) and Ongoye Centipede and Bronze-naped Pigeon.

The Zulu king Mpande is the first known person to have afforded protection to Ongoye Forest in the 1800s.
Commercial logging occurred in the forest between 1909 and 1924
The area became an official conservation area in 1992

Newlands Forest

Newlands Forest is a conservancy area on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, beside the suburb of Newlands, Cape Town. It is owned and maintained by the Table Mountain National Parks Board, along with the City Parks Department of Cape Town covering an area of 400 hectares. Coordinates: 33°58′15″S 18°26′30″E / 33.97083°S 18.44167°E. Due to its location on the mountain slopes, there are impressive views eastward over the Cape Flats. Natural transition zone between endangered Granite Fynbos and Peninsula Shale Fynbos. Wildlife in the forest includes; Chaffinch, Cape White-eye, Grassbird, Southern Double-collared Sunbird, African Black Swift, Alpine Swift, White-rumped Swift, Black Saw-wing Swallow, Great Striped Swallow, African Olive Pigeon, Cape Canary, monkeys, African wild dog and ground hornbill.

Mount Cameroon and Bioko Montane Forests

The Mount Cameroon and Bioko Montane Forests ecoregion is located in a volcanic chain that extends northeast along the border between Cameroon and Nigeria, and southwest towards the Guinea islands of São Tomé, Príncipe and Annobo covering an area of 400 square miles.

These include; shrew, a brush-furred mouse species, spotted monkey, Preuss’s monkey, black colobus monkey, drill, Hun shrew and Cameroon climbing mouse

Both Bioko and Mount Cameroon are part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line
Bioko is a volcanic island to the southwest in Equatorial Guinea
The montane forests of Mount Cameroon and Bioko are home to the distinct Afromontane flora of Africa’s high mountains.

Cross-Niger Transition Forests

The Cross-Niger transition forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest eco region of south eastern Nigeria, located between the Niger River on the west and the Cross River on the east covering an area of 20,700 sq km. Coordinates: 10 00 N, 8 00 E.Wildlife in the forest includes; drill monkey, African buffalo, cheetahs, warthogs, hippos, caracal, leopards, lions, baboons and elephants and red-capped mangabey and more than 900 species of birds

Covers states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Ebonyiand Imo
The Niger River separates the Cross-Niger transition forests from the Nigerian lowland forests to the west
The climate is wet becoming drier further inland, with a dry season from December to February.

Wildlife in the forest includes; drill monkey, African buffalo, cheetahs, warthogs, hippos, caracal, leopards, lions, baboons and elephants and red-capped mangabey and more than 900 species of birds

Arabuko Sokoke forest

The Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve is located on the coast of Kenya, 110 km north of Mombasa and is protected as a national Forest Reserve. The Arabuko Sokoke National Park, situated at the north-western edge of the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve, is only a few square kilometres in size and constitutes only a small portion of the latter.

The National Park was gazetted only in the late 1980s and in fact straddles the Forest Reserve boundary, with about 50% lying outside the boundary. This outer section actually lies outside an electric elephant fence installed in 2006/7 and is now fully inhabited by local communities to the extent that there is no sign on the ground to show where the National Park begins or ends. The National Park doesn’t add any particular protection to the forest which is the largest fragment of coastal forest (420 square km) left in East Africa.

The Forest Reserve, on the other hand, is jointly managed by the Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, National Museums of Kenya and the Kenya Forest Research Institute and is one of the better protected forests in Kenya. The forest was first protected as a Crown Forest in 1943, and was gazetted in the 1960s. The forest is threatened by the desire for land by local people. Several national and international conservation organisations are working with the Kenya Wildlife Service to protect the park.

Karura Forest

Karura Forest is an urban forest in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The forest was gazetted in 1932 and is managed by the Kenya Forest Service in conjunction with the Friends of Karura Forest Community Forest Association [1].

Website: http://www.friendsofkarura.org/

Karura Forest is 1,041 ha (2,570 acre) consisting of three parts separated by Limuru and Kiambu roads. The large middle portion is ca. 710 ha (1,750 acres); the Sigria salient to the west is ca. 250 ha (620 acres). The portion to the east of Kiambu road has been allocated to special national priorities. As of mid-2016, 36% of the forest contains indigenous upland forest tree species. The forest is home to some 200 species of bird as well as suni, Harveys Duiker, bushbucks, bush pigs, genets, civets, honey badgers, bush babies, porcupines, Syke’s monkeys, bush squirrels, hares, fruit bats, and various reptiles and butterflies. Karura now has over 50 km of trails for visitors to walk, run or bike.

Due to its proximity to a growing city, there have been plans to reduce the forest in favour of housing and other development. However, these plans have been controversial with conservationists. In the late 1990s there were housing projects that would have excised portions of the forest. Conservationists, led by Wangari Maathai, the leader of Green Belt Movement who later became a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, carried out a much publicised campaign for saving the forest. Karura Forest became also a symbol against controversial land grabbings in Kenya

Kakamega Forest

Kakamega Forest is a tropical rainforest situated in the Kakamega and Nandi County of Kenya, northwest of the capital Nairobi, and near to the border with Uganda. It is Kenya’s only tropical rainforest and is said to be Kenya’s last remnant of the ancient Guineo-Congolian rainforest that once spanned the continent.

The forest lies on undulating terrain, mostly between 1500 and 1600 meters elevation. It is in the watershed of the Isiukhu and Yala rivers, which flow through the forest before emptying into Lake Victoria.

The forest including reserves encloses about 238 square kilometers, a little less than half of which currently remains as indigenous forest. In the north of the forest is the 4,468 hectares (45 km²; 17 sq mi) Kakamega National Reserve, given national forest reserve status in 1985. Just to the north is the Kisere Forest Reserve. Throughout the forest are a series of grassy glades, ranging in size from about 1 to 50, with a few larger clearings. The origins of the glades are uncertain. Some are certainly recent clearings, but others predate recent records. These may have originated from past human activity such as cattle grazing or may be the result of herbivory and movements by large mammals such as buffalo and elephants (both now extirpated from the region). The glades vary a great deal in structure, some being open grass and others having a considerable number of trees or shrubs. A number of streams and small creeks run through the reserve. The larger creeks are usually bordered by a few to tens of meters of forest on either side which divide the glades, while the smallest creeks flow through open grasslands, often forming small marshy patches.

Kaimosi Forest

Kaimosi Forest is a Rain Forest in Western Kenya

Maragoli Forest

Was a Forest in Western Kenya

Malava Forest

Malava forest is a tropical rainforest in Kakamega County, Kenya. It covers an extensive area of about 10 hectares straddling the Kakamega-Webuye road. It has monkey species that have learned to coexist ‘peacefully’ with the natives there. The forest has paths leading through it giving anyone who wishes to ‘interact with nature’.

Budongo Forest Reserve

The forest is located in the districts of Hoima , Masindi and Buliisa in Western Uganda and it is about three hours drive from Kampala City . The 825 square km forest reserve is located within the boundaries of Murchison Falls National Park. Coordinates: 01°43′27″N 31°32′45″E/ 1.72417°N 31.54583°E. The wildlife include; Rhinos, Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Hippopotamus, cheetah, elephants, giraffe and zebra, chimpanzees and birds include Puvel’s and Illadopses.The vegetation of the forest is mainly tropical forest and grassland, woodland Mahogany and Iron-wood trees.

Located on the escarpment northeast of Lake Albert
Biggest Mahogany forest found in the whole of East Africa
The major tourist sites within this forest are: the Kaniyo Pabidi Ecotourism site, Busingiro Ecotourism site and Kaniyo Pabidi
Murchison Falls National Park
The forest is characterized by a medium altitude damp semi-deciduous verdant forests

Central Zambezian miombo woodlands

The Central Zambezian miombo woodlands ecoregion spans southern central Africa. Miombo woodland is the predominant plant community. It is one of the largest ecoregions on the continent, and home to a great variety of wildlife, including many large mammals.

The region covers a large area stretching northeast from Angola, including the southeast section of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of Zambia, a large section of western Tanzania, southern Burundi, and northern and western Malawi. In the Congo the ecoregion is almost conterminous with Katanga Province. In Zambia it covers the northern half of the country above Lusaka, including the eastern and western “ears” and the Copperbelt. In Tanzania it covers the western inland provinces between Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi.

The area is mostly flat plateau, and the soils are poor. There is a tropical climate with a long dry season, up to seven months, which leaves the forest vulnerable to fires, and a rainy season from November to March. The woodland is interspersed with riverside dambos (grassy wetlands), which may constitute up to thirty percent of the region.

Kumbira Forest

Kumbira Forest is a forest in Angola that is notable for its large variety of birds, including the Pulitzer’s longbill, forest scrub robin and Gabela akalat. The forest is part of the Gabela Important Birding Area. It runs through the Cuanza Norte Province and Cuanza Sul Province. It was aimed to document the floristic diversity of Angola. The forest is located 10 kilometers away from Conda.The forest has at least 100 species of plants. The forest is currently protected to preserve Angolan biodiversity, but human activities such as slashing and burning still occur. There are 230 listed bird species in the forest.

Cameroonian Highlands forests‎

The Cameroonian Highlands forests, also known as the Cameroon 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. This is an area of forest and grassland which has become more populous as land is cleared for agriculture

Kilum-Ijim Forest

The Kilum-Ijim Forest is an area of mountain rainforest in Cameroon’s North-West Region. It is found on Mount Oku and the nearby Ijim Ridge in the Cameroon mountains, with Lake Oku lying in a crater in its center. It is the largest area of Afromontane forest left in West Africa. The area is an important one for biodiversity, including the endemic Bannerman’s turaco and banded wattle-eye. The forest is the focus of a successful community conservation project, the Kilum-Ijim Forest Project, which works to protect the forest. The project is a collaboration between the Cameroon Ministry of the Environment and BirdLife International, and focuses on sustainable use of the forests, local management, working to benefit both the biodiversity and local development. The programme works so well that the boundaries of the forest, as mapped by satellite imagery, are expanding, and the success of the idea has led to another sister project in Cameroon, the Bamenda Highlands Forest Project.

The Kilum-Ijim Forest is an area of massive land which has extreme biodiversity, ranging from tropical rainforest to lake Biomes. To keep the rainforest sustainable and available for future use, control of areas of the Kilum Forest have been handed over to the locals to preserve and sustain.

Sangha Trinational

Sangha Trinational is a forest divided between the nations of Central African Republic, Cameroon and Congo-Brazzaville. It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 because of its outstanding biodiversity and unique biological communities. The site includes 3 contiguous national parks within the humid tropical forests of Central Africa: Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Congo, Lobéké National Park in Cameroon, and Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in Central African Republic. The large size of the site and the relatively limited amount of deforestation within the three parks has allowed populations of vulnerable species such as African forest elephants, gorillas, sitatunga, and chimpanzees to thrive. In addition, populations of critically endangered plant species such as Mukulungu are protected within the site’s borders.

Bili Forest

Bili (coordinates 4°9’N 25°10’E), which is about 200 km east of Bondo and 250 km north of Buta, is a city in the Bas-Uélé District in the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. It lies along the Bili river, a tributary of the Ubangi river. It lies 50 km south of the Mbomou river, which forms the border with the Central African Republic. It is situated to the north of the Uélé river. The town has existed since at least 1908. It sits on land covered in marshlands, swamps and savannah, with patches of forest, while to the south of the Uélé lies dense unbroken rainforest. The local populace of the greater area are Azande. In 2005, a Time reporter found the region was highly undeveloped due to war and neglect. Bicycles were the main mode of transport at the time. Gold was found in the region, attracting many prospectors in 2006–2007.

The troubles in the neighbouring country of the Central African Republic have caused a large number of people to cross the nearby Mbomou river to seek refuge here. In 2015 a UNHCR refugee camp for 4,000 was set up in a near-by village. There was not enough to eat. As of 2020 the refugee camp now houses 10,000 people from CAR. There are also numerous informal refugee camps along the border on the near bank of the Mbomou and Ubangi, such as Baladamo Rive, housing 90,000 people in makeshift shelters. Malaria is a problem. The UNHCR is trying to convince these refugees to decamp to Bili. In 2016 the WHO registered a cholera outbreak in Bili.

Ituri Rainforest

The Ituri Rainforest is a rainforest located in the Ituri Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The forest’s name derives from the nearby Ituri River which flows through the rainforest, connecting firstly to the Aruwimi River and finally into the Congo.

The Ituri Rainforest is about 63,000 square kilometers in area, and is located between 0° and 3°N and 27° and 30° E. Elevation in the Ituri ranges from about 700 m to 1000 m. The average temperature is 31 °C (88 °F) and the average humidity is about 85% (Wilkie 1987). About one-fifth of the rainforest is made up of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a World Heritage Site.

It is also the home of the Mbuti pygmies, one of the hunter-gatherer peoples living in equatorial rainforests characterised by their short height (below one and a half metres, or 59 inches, on average). They were the subject of research by a variety of outsiders, including Patrick and Anne Eisner Putnam who lived on the banks of the Epulu River at the edge of the Ituri. They were also the subject of a study by Colin Turnbull, The Forest People, in 1962.

The Ituri Rain forest was first traversed by Europeans in 1887 by Henry Morton Stanley on his Emin Pasha Relief Expedition.

Church forests of Ethiopia

The church forests in Ethiopia are small fragments of forest surrounding Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Churches. Northern Ethiopia was once covered in forests, but due to deforestation for agriculture, only about 4% of the original forested lands remain. Church leaders have long held the belief that a church needs to be surrounded by a forest, and these sacred forests have been tended for some 1,500 years. Aerial photographs of church forests show them as small verdant islands surrounded by vast areas of tilled lands and pasture. There are around 35,000 individual church forests in the region, ranging in size from 3 hectares (7.4 acres) to 300 hectares (740 acres), with the average around 5 hectares (12 acres). It is estimated that these church forests represent the bulk of the remaining forested land in the Ethiopian Highlands

Ethiopian Highlands

The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 m (4,900 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 m (14,930 ft). It is sometimes called the Roof of Africa due to its height and large area. Most of the Ethiopian Highlands are part of central and northern Ethiopia, and its northernmost portion reaches into Eritrea.

Ethiopian montane forests

The Ethiopian montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in eastern Africa. It covers the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands in Ethiopia and extends into neighboring Eritrea, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somaliland. The ecoregion includes distinctive Afromontane forests, woodlands, grasslands, and shrublands. The ecoregion’s biodiversity is threatened by deforestation, conversion to agriculture, and overgrazing.

Harenna Forest

The Harenna Forest is a montane tropical evergreen forest in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains. The forest covers the southern slope of the mountains, extending from 1450 to 3200 meters elevation. The Bale Mountains are in Ethiopia’s Oromia Region, and form the southwestern portion of the Ethiopian Highlands.

It is one of the few remaining natural forests in the country, and the largest. The Harenna Forest is known for its native plants, mammals, amphibians and birds, including many endemic species. The montane climate of the southern Bale Mountains sustains plant communities distinct from those of the adjacent lowlands, and from montane forests elsewhere in the Ethiopian Highlands

Sheka Forest

The Sheka Forest is a UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve in south western Ethiopia. The area includes forest, bamboo thickets, wetlands, agricultural land, rural settlements and towns. It covers a unique biogeographic unit extending from cold and very wet highlands to hot lowland areas. The diverse resident human population is committed to sustainable use of the forests through both the production of wooden items and non-timber forest products. It was declared in 2012 and is administered by SNNP Region Bureau of Agriculture, Sheka Zone Administration, Sheka Zone Department of Agriculture, Masha Woreda Office of Agriculture, Anderacha Woreda Office of Agriculture, Yeski Woreda Office of Agriculture. The reserve covers a core area of 238,750 hectares, with a buffer zone 76,395 hectares and transition areas of 107,100 hectares.

Langoué Baï

Langoué Baï, located in Ivindo National Park, is the largest baï (a Babenzélé pygmy word for a forest clearing with a river or stream running through it) in Gabon, and covers 12.5 ha, with a length of 850 m and a width of 350 m. Archaeological findings show human habitation of other nearby clearings as recently as 4000 BP, and of the area around the current Ivindo train station and around the park in general from as early as 120,000 BP to the modern day. The baï itself was rediscovered in 2001 by Mike Fay during the Megatransect, who recognised its significance and importance for wildlife, calling it the “most important discovery” of the 2000 mile hike through Congo and Gabon.

The surrounding forest supports a relatively intact forest elephant population, unlike many other baïs in the region which are targeted for poaching, and up to 90 different forest elephants can be seen visiting the baï per day during peak seasons, with more visiting at night. Other mammal species that make use of the baï include western lowland gorilla, African forest buffalo, red river hog, and a resident population of sitatunga. Numerous bird species also frequent the clearing, from the common hammerkop to Hartlaub’s duck.

The vegetation of the baï consists mostly of Cyperaceae and Poaceae. Areas of Pandanus and Raffia are found in the south of the baï. A physical geography study conducted in the Hokou region of the Central African Republic associated the existence of elephant bais with emergent dolerite rock formations, and the availability of mineral salts is typically cited as the reason for high rates of elephant visitation.

Since 2001, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has studied and protected the baï with the support of what is now the Gabonese National Parks Agency (ANPN), and in 2004 constructed a purpose-built camp with researcher accommodation and offices, first running a combination research/ecotourism pilot project, and later focusing solely on research.

Mondah Forest

Mondah Forest is a legally protected coastal forest in Komo-Mondah Department, northwest Gabon. The forest is partially flooded and includes various ecosystems such as mangrove and mahogany. The forest’s proximity to Libreville has placed the forest under environmental pressure, and some areas have been cleared for food crops

Achimota Forest

Achimota Forest Reserve is a forest in Achimota in the Okaikwei North Municipality in the Greater Accra Region. It is located approximately 7.6km from Accra. It is under protection against unauthorized usage such as poaching, construction of homes, hunting and shopping malls by individuals and groups. It is one of the green facilities in Accra assisting with control of carbon emissions.

Asubima Forest Reserve

The Asubima Forest Reserve is a 7,870-hectare (19,400-acre) protected area near Akumadan, Ghana and was established in 1945. FORM Ghana, a plantation development company, manages 1,729.9 hectares (4,275 acres) of the southern part of the reserve to reforest land in the reserve that has been highly degraded due to logging, wildfires, and illegal farming. The reserve is located at the northern edge of the semi-deciduous forest ecological zone, which is characterized by alternating wet and dry seasons in a tropical monsoon climate.

Located 9 kilometers east of Akumadan in Ghana, in the Ashanti region, the Asubima Forest Reserve is a forest area aimed at preserving Ghanaian tree species. The reserve includes programs such as high-quality nurseries, model plantations and intervention programs that work against deforestation, deforestation, wood fires and illegal agriculture. Local farmers participate in the programs, working on plantations as workers, guards or members of the fire brigade

Ayum Forest Reserve

The Ayum Forest Reserve is found in Ghana. It was established in 1940. This site is 112 km². The Aium Forest Reserve is located in the Brong-Ahafo region. It is connected to the Subim Reserve and the Bonsampepo Reserve, and together they cover about 488 square kilometers. It plays a key role in conserving biodiversity in Guinean Moist Forest Eco-Region. The area contains a small number of chimpanzees, elephants and other endangered species.

Boin Tano Forest Reserve

Bonsam Bepo Forest Reserve

The Bonsam Bepo Forest Reserve is found in Ghana. It was established in 1934, and covers 124.00 km². It is located at an altitude of 304 meters.

Draw River Forest Reserve

The Draw River Forest Reserve is found in Ghana. It was established in 1937, and covers 235 km². The Draw River flows through the eastern part of the reserve. It is located at 75 meters above sea level

Kalakpa Game Production Reserve

Kalakpa Game Production Reserve is a 32,020 hectare forest reserve in Ghana. The protected area was founded in 1975 by the Ghanaian government, located on the foothills of the Togo Mountains in the Ho Municipal Area. Before this area became an animal reserve, it served mainly as preferred hunting area for expatriates in Ghana.

In this animal reserve you can find, apart from lions and elephants. Among other animals there is a variety of buffaloes, antelopes, baboons and smaller mammals in the reserve. The bird world is worth seeing here. The reserve also boasts many butterfly species.

Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve

The Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve is a 481 km² (186 sq mi) forest reserve established in 1935 in Ghana.

The last estimate of chimpanzee abundance in Ghana was made by Teleki’s in 1989, which estimated between 300 and 500 chimpanzees present. No evidence of chimpanzees presence was found at the site during field surveys, however their presence was reported by hunters (Magnuson, 2002; Oates, 2006).

This forest has been heavily logged in the past. Evidence of logging in progress was also seen during field surveys in 1995 (Oates, 2006). Evidence of hunting is high at this site. It was estimated to 5.2 hunting signs per hour of scouting survey (Oates, 2006).

Mamiri Forest Reserve

The Mamiri Forest Reserve is found in Ghana. It was established in 1949, and the site covers 45 km² (17 sq mi). It has a long, narrow shape, extending for about 15 km (9.3 mi) from north to south, and only 2–4 km (1.2–2.5 mi) from east to west (Oates, 2006). Mamiri lies on the boundary between the wet evergreen and moist evergreen forest zones (Hall and Swaine, 1981).

The terrain is hilly, with the hills strongly dissected by steep-sided deep valleys. These valleys become flooded during the rainy season, creating swampy habitats. The estimate terrain elevation above sea level is 128 metres

Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve

The Tano Nimri or Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve is found in Ghana. It was established in 1935. This site is 206 km². It is thought that species presence is confirmed within this reserve (Magnuson et al. 2003)

Agumatsa Range

Agumatsa is a mountain range in Ghana which includes the country’s highest points, Mount Aduadu, and the nearby Mount Afadja. The popular tourist attraction, Wli waterfalls is within the range. The range also contains a conservation area, the Mount Afadja-Agumatsa Range.

Ankasa Conservation Area

The Ankasa Conservation Area is an area in southwestern Ghana, in Ghana’s Western Region, about 365 kilometres west of Accra near the border with Côte d’Ivoire. It incorporates the Nini Suhien National Park in the North, and the Ankasa Forest Reserve in the South.

The park is approximately 500 square kilometers, and consists largely of tropical evergreen rainforest. The Ankasa Conservation Area is the only wildlife protected area in Ghana that is located in the wet evergreen tropical high rainforest belt. The Ankasa, Nini, and Suhien Rivers all pass through the park, and are known for their rapids and waterfalls. The forest has the most biological diversity of any in Ghana, with over 800 vascular plant species, 639 butterfly species, and more than 190 bird species. Animal life includes the elephant, bongo, leopard, chimpanzee, Diana monkey, and other primates. Apart from the forest reserve which was selectively logged until 1976, the rest of the protected area is almost intact.

The park includes basic camping facilities with shelters, toilets, and running water along with many facilities for sitting down and having a chat.

Bia National Park

Bia National Park is a national park in the Bia district in the Western Region of Ghana. It is also a biosphere reserve with a 563 square kilometer resource reserve. It has some of Ghana’s last remnants of relatively untouched forest complete with its full diversity of wildlife. Some of the tallest trees left in West Africa are found in this national park. It constitutes a twin conservation area called the Bia National Park and the Bia Resource Reserve.

Boin Tano Forest Reserve

The Boin Tano Forest Reserve is a nature reserve located in the Western Region of Ghana. It was established in 1968. This site, which is 129 square kilometres (12,900 ha; 50 sq mi), is rich both in faunal and floral species.The Boin Tano Forest Reserve is located only five degrees north of the Equator and around 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the Gulf of Guinea in Atlantic Ocean, therefore giving it a warm and humid climate. Grasslands mixed with shrublands and forests dominate the reserve. Hundreds of different species live within this protected area and its boundaries

Kakum National Park

Kakum National Park, located in the coastal environs of the Central Region of Ghana, covers an area of 375 square kilometres (145 sq mi). Established in 1931 as a reserve, it was gazetted as a national park only in 1992 after an initial survey of avifauna was conducted. The area is covered with tropical forest. The uniqueness of this park lies in the fact that it was established at the initiative of the local people and not by the State Department of wildlife who are responsible for wildlife preservation in Ghana. It is one of only 3 locations in Africa with a canopy walkway, which is 350 metres (1,150 ft) long and connects seven tree tops which provides access to the forest.

The most notable endangered species of fauna in the park are Diana monkey, giant bongo antelope, yellow-backed duiker and African elephant. It is also an Important Bird Area recognized by the Bird Life International with the bird area fully overlapping the park area. The bird inventory confirmed 266 species in the park, including eight species of global conservation concern. One of these species of concern is the white-breasted guineafowl. Nine species of hornbill and the grey parrot have been recorded. It is very rich in butterflies as well, and a new species was discovered in 1993. As of 2012, the densest population of forest elephants in Ghana is located in Kakum.

The Museums and Monuments Board of the Republic of Ghana has proposed that UNESCO declare the park a natural World Heritage Site under criteria vii and x. The submission made in 2000 is listed under the tentative List of World Heritage Sites.

Mamiri Forest Reserve

Marahoué National Park

Marahoué National Park is a national park in Ivory Coast. It was established in 1968, and covers 1,010 km² (390 sq mi). However, it has lost nearly all its forest cover in the first two decades of the 21st century. Over the years, the park has been damaged and occupied by people and no longer provides suitable habitat for chimpanzees or many other large animals.

Nini Suhien National Park

The Nini-Suhien National Park is found in Ghana. It was established in 1976. This site is 160 square kilometres (62 sq mi) in size. Along with the Ankasa Resource Reserve, the national park is part of the 500-square-kilometre (190 sq mi) Ankasa Conservation Area.

Togo Mountains

The Togo Mountains is a mountain range which stretches across the central region of the West African country of Togo and across the eastern and western borders of that country into Ghana and Benin. In Ghana, the range is also known as the Akwapim Hills, and in Benin it is also known as the Atakora Mountains /ˌætəˈkɔːrə/. Part of the range is associated with the country of Niger, where the W National Park is found. The African wild dog, Lycaon pictus, was historically found in this region but may now be extirpated from this locale

Badiar National Park

Badiar National Park (French: Parc National du Badiar) is a national park in Guinea, on the border with Senegal and contiguous with Senegal’s much larger Niokolo-Koba National Park. It was established on 30 May 1985 (by ordonnance N°124/PRG/85), partly in response to Senegal’s concern about poaching in Niokolo-Koba National Park. Badiar is an International Union for Conservation of Nature Category II park.

The park consists of two separate areas: the Mafou sector of 554.0 square kilometres (213.9 sq mi) and the Kouya sector of 674.0 square kilometres (260.2 sq mi). There is also a buffer sector of 5,916 square kilometres (2,284 sq mi) around the Mafou sector. The principal rivers are the Koulountou (one of the two main tributaries of the Gambia River) and the Mitji. The annual rainfall averages 1,000 to 1,500 millimetres (39 to 59 in), mostly during the rainy season of June–October.

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.

Guinean mangroves

The Guinean mangroves are a coastal ecoregion of mangrove swamps in rivers and estuaries near the ocean of West Africa from Senegal to Sierra Leone. Guinean mangroves can be found: in the Saloum River and Casamance deltas in Senegal; in the lower Gambia River basin; much of the coast of Guinea-Bissau, including the Cacheu and Mansoa Rivers; across the border in northern Guinea; and much of the coast of Sierra Leone including the Sherbro River. Mangroves thrive on flat coastal inlets and estuaries where the ocean tides wash warm salt water high upriver, in this ecoregion as far as 100 km, for example in the Cacheu River of Guinea-Bissau

Guinean montane forests

The Guinean montane forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of West Africa.^[2]^[3]^[4]

The ecoregion occupies the portions of the Guinea Highlands lying above 600 meters elevation, extending across portions of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire. It includes the Fouta Djallon plateau and the massifs of Ziama, Simandou, Tétini, Béro, Kourandou in Guinea, the Loma Mountains and Tingi Hills in Sierra Leone, the Nimba Range in Guinea, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire, and the Monts du Toura in Côte d’Ivoire. Mount Bintumani in the Loma Mountains is the highest peak in West Africa west of Mount Cameroon. The next highest peaks in the region are in the Sankan Biriwa massif (1850 meters) in the Tingi Hills. Average rainfall is between 1,600–2400 mm per year and many important rivers have their sources in these mountains

Guinée forestière

Guinée forestière (Forested Guinea) is a forested mountainous region in southeastern Guinea, extending into northeastern Sierra Leone. It is one of four natural regions into which Guinea is divided and covers 23% of the country. It includes all of the Nzérékoré administrative region, and shares a border with Sierra Leone and Liberia. Its rocky topology contains several mountain ranges and has an average elevation of 460m. Forested Guinea contains important areas of biological diversity such as the UNESCO World Heritage site Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve and biosphere reserve Ziama Massif. The Guéckédou prefectures also recorded the initial case of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Meliandou, a rural village. The virus subsequently spread to urban areas and neighbouring countries Sierra Leone and Liberia.

National Park of Upper Niger

The National Park of Upper Niger is a national park in Guinea that was gazetted in January 1997 with a core area of 554 km² (214 sq mi). The park protects important tracts of forest and savannah, and is considered a conservation priority for West Africa as a whole.

Nialama (Nyalama) Classified Forest

The Nialama (or Nyalama) Classified Forest is found in Guinea. This site is 100 km². Results of a survey in 1998 as part of the follow-up to the Projet de Conservation des Chimpanzes en Guinee indicate four social groups of chimpanzees residing in the park, three of which take permanent residence in their respective blocks. The total population of these four social groups is considered to be 83 individuals (Kormos et al. 2003)

Pinselly Classified Forest

Pinselly Classified Forest is situated in Mamou Prefecture, south-eastern part of Fouta Djallon Highlands in Guinea. The closest city is Ouré-Kaba. The protected area is characterized by dry montane forests, tall-grassed savanna patches, and dense evergreen vegetation with giant trees in the moist valleys. It is a home for forest elephants, hippopotamuses, and a large diversity of primates and ungulates. Reported species are among others Diana monkey, patas monkey, olive baboon, Western bongo, bushbuck, and red-flanked duiker. In fact, there is a high density of the endangered Western chimpanzee, and this area is a stronghold for the species, together with the nearby Soya Classified Forest. Pinselly Classified forest has a good potential in wildlife tourism, due to its relative proximity to Conakry (300 km). The forest can be reached within 7 hours from the capital by city car.

Western Guinean lowland forests

The Western Guinean lowland forests ecoregion (WWF #AT0130) is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of West Africa. It is centered on Liberia, with portions in surrounding countries. It is the westernmost tropical rainforest in Africa, and has high levels of species endemism, with over 200 species of endemic plants.

Ziama Massif

The Ziama Massif is a forested mountain range in Nzérékoré Region of southeastern Guinea. The Ziama Massif extends northeast-southwest, continuing south into Liberia as the Kpo Range. The eastern slopes are drained by the St. Paul River, and the western slopes by the Lofa River; both rivers drain southwest through Liberia to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. The highest points of the massif reach to almost 1,400 meters above sea level. The forested landscape includes valleys, plateaus, rounded ridges, rocky peaks, sheer cliffs and granite outcrops.

Mabi/Yaya Classified Forest

The Mabi/Yaya Classified Forest is found in Ivory Coast, and it covers 294 km² (114 sq mi). The village Kossandji is partially surrounded by the forest, and the town of Annépé is close to its western edge. It is classified in IV IUCN category. It is one of the last habitats of the forest toad Sclerophrys togoensis

Western Guinean lowland forests

‎Eastern Guinean forests

The Eastern Guinean forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of West Africa. The ecoregion includes the lowland forests extending from the Gulf of Guinea a few hundred kilometres inland, from western Côte d’Ivoire to the western shore of Lake Volta in Ghana. A few enclaves lie further east and inland in the Togo Mountains of Togo, eastern Ghana, and Benin. The Sassandra River of Cote d’Ivoire separates the Eastern Guinean forests from the Western Guinean forests which lie to the west. Inland and to the east, the Eastern Guinean forests transition to the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic. Cities in the ecoregion include Abidjan and Yamoussoukro in Ivory Coast and Kumasi in Ghana. The Eastern Guinean forests, together with the other tropical moist broadleaf forests of West Africa, is included within Conservation International’s Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot.

Cherangani Hills Forest

Cherangani Hills Forest (Cherangany Hills Forest) is a collection of thirteen forest reserve blocks in western Kenya, located in the Cherangani Hills on the western ridge of the East African Rift. The forested area is about 1,200 square kilometres (463 sq mi), 956 square kilometres (369 sq mi) of which has been gazetted into forest reserves. These forest reserves form the upper catchments of the Kerio and Nzoia and Turkwel rivers.

Elmenteita Badlands

The Elementeita Badlands, also known as the Otutu Forest or Ututu Forest, is a lava flow in Kenya that covers approximately 36 square kilometres (9,000 acres). The area was previously covered in thick dryland forest characterized by cedar trees, (Juniperus spp.), and Leleshwa bushes (Tarchonanthus camphoratus). In addition, Wild Jasmine and Boophone are also found.

The land was owned by Njenga Karume, who bought it from Arthur Cole in 1980. Cole had bought it from Digby Tatham-Warter (famous for his role in the Battle of Arnhem) in 1968, as grazing land of low potential. The land is unsuitable for either small scale cultivation or cattle ranching as it is covered in thick bush growing from the profusion of lava boulders. It is now owned by the Njenga Karume Trust.

Kaya (Mijikenda)

Kaya (plural makaya or kayas) is a sacred forest of the Mijikenda people in the former Coast Province of Kenya. The kaya forest is considered to be an intrinsic source of ritual power and the origin of cultural identity; it is also a place of prayer for members of the particular ethnic group. The settlement, ritual centre, and fortified enclosure associated with the forest are also part of the kaya. In the present day, the kaya is also referred to as a traditional organizational unit of the Mijikenda. Eleven of the approximately 30 separate kaya have been grouped together and inscribed as the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kaya Mudzi Muvya

Kaya Mudzi Muvya is a coastal lowland dry deciduous forest in Kilifi County of southern Kenya. It became a World Heritage Site in 2008. A large portion of the forest is an area protected by the Kenya Forest Service under The Forests Act of 2005, and as a national monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Act Cap 215. The forest is sacred to the local Mijikenda people, known as the Rabai (Warabai in Swahili). The forest has suffered deprevation over the past hundred years.

Loita Forest

The Loita Forest, also known as the Loita Naimina Enkiyio Forest or the Forest of the Lost Child, is an upland forest directly adjacent to the plains of the Masai Mara and the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. The translation of “Forest of the Lost Child” is based on a Maasai legend about a young girl. According to the legend, the girl was taking care of some animal calves when some of them got loose and wandered into the forest. The girl went into the forest to find them. The calves eventually returned home without her. Family members and Maasai warriors marched through the forest to find her, but the girl never came out.

Menengai Forest

Menengai Forest is an urban forest situated within the town of Nakuru in Kenya. The Menengai Crater is within the forest. It was gazetted as a forest in the 1930s. It is surrounded by residential areas of Milimani Estate in the South, Ngachura and Bahati in the East, Solai in the North and Olo-Rongai in the West. Various Government of Kenya facilities have been hived off from the forest; these include the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and the Nakuru G.K Prison. There is also a geothermal exploration project by the Geothermal Development Company inside the Menengai Crater floor.

Nairobi Arboretum

Nairobi Arboretum is located along state house road in the area of Kilimani, Nairobi Kenya. It was founded in 1907 by Mr. Batiscombe in a bid to try out new forestry trees. It was later gazetted as a national reserve in 1932 by the government and issuance of a title deed was later conducted by the commissioner of lands to the government in 1996.

Ngangao Forest

Ngangao Forest is one of the few remaining indigenous cloud forest fragments of the Taita Hills, Kenya. It is located on a rock surrounded by the villages of Makandenyi, Maghimbinyi, Mgambonyi and Kitumbi. It lies 10 km from Wundanyi and can easily be reached by road. There is even frequent public transport from Wundanyi to Makandenyi (at least 10 vehicles daily). The very basic “Ngangao forest camp” is located next to the forester’s house at the edge of forest.

With its 120 hectares (297 acres), Ngangao is the second largest forest and one of the lesser disturbed forests of the Taita Hills. As a result, it is a stronghold for many plant and animal species. There are three endemic birds species of the Taita Hills. The Taita thrush (Turdus (olivaceus) helleri), Taita apalis (Apalis (thoracica) fuscigularis) and Taita white-eye (Zosterops (poliogaster) silvanus) occur in relative large numbers. Some plants, like the Zimmermannia ovata, are only found in the dryer parts of Ngangao Forest.

Ngong Forest

The Ngong Road Forest covers an area approximately three and a half times the size of New York City’s Central Park. It is divided into two main sectors by the Ngong Road: the Miotoni Section to the North West, and the Racecourse and Kibera section to the South East. The Southern Bypass, which is currently under construction, in turn divides these sections.

The forest was originally gazetted in 1932, it covered an area of approximately 2,926.6 hectares and supplied the railways with timber and fuel. By 1978, this area had been reduced after a series of legal excisions. Illegal land grabbing was also rife with portions of the forest split off and allocated to private developers behind closed doors. In the early 1990s, the Trustees of Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary, led by Imre Loefler discovered that the core of the indigenous forest had been divided in to 35 land parcels and was to be given over to developers. After intense lobbying of the government, the sell-off was cancelled. By 2005, the total area of the Ngong Road Forest had reached its current size of 1,224 hectares.

Ol Doinyo Orok

The Ol Donyo Orok mountain (in maasai language), also called Namanga Hills, is situated in southern Kenya next to the Tanzanian border in the Namanga Division. The mountain has a stretched triangular shape, almost like an arrow pointing north. The short side faces the Tanzanian border (and one corner is actually crossing it). The highest peak is 2,548 metres (8,360 ft).

Mount Elgon

Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain’s highest point, named “Wagagai”, is located entirely within Uganda. Although there is no verifiable evidence of its earliest volcanic activity, geologists estimate that Mount Elgon is at least 24 million years old, making it the oldest extinct volcano in East Africa

Aberdare Range

The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range, Kikuyu: Nyandarua) is a 160 km (100 mile) long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya’s capital Nairobi with an average elevation of 4,001 metres (13,130 ft). It straddles across the counties of Nyandarua, Nyeri, Muranga, Kiambu and Laikipia. The mountain range is located in west central Kenya, northeast of Naivasha and Gilgil and lies just south of the Equator. The mountain range is called Nyandarua among the Agikuyu people in whose territory this forest and mountain range is located. The name Nyandarua comes from the Kikuyu word rwandarua meaning a drying hide, due to the distinctive fold of its silhouette.

The Aberdare Range forms a section of the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley running roughly north to south. On the west, the range falls off steeply into the Kinangop Plateau and then into the Great Rift Valley. On the east, the range slopes more gently. Lake Naivasha and the distant Mau Escarpment can be seen from peaks in the range.

The range has a maximum elevation of 3,999 metres (13,120 ft) above sea level and is heavily forested. The former name of the range survives in Mount Satima (“the mountain of the young bull”), the highest peak in the Aberdare Range. The second-highest peak, at the southern end of the range, is Mount Kinangop at 3,906 metres (12,815 ft). Mount Kenya, 5,199 metres (17,057 ft) the second highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro lies east of the Aberdare Range.

The Aberdares are the water catchment area for the Sasumua dam and the Ndakaini dam, which provide most of the water for Nairobi. The mountain forests are catchment areas for the Tana River, the largest river in Kenya, supplying water to the Seven Forks hydroelectric power complex which generates over 55 percent of Kenya’s total electricity output.

Imatong Mountains

The Imatong Mountains (also Immatong, or rarely Matonge) are mainly located in Eastern Equatoria in southeastern South Sudan, and extend into the Northern Region of Uganda. Mount Kinyeti is the highest mountain of the range at 3,187 metres (10,456 ft), and the highest point of South Sudan.

The range has an equatorial climate and had dense montane forests supporting diverse wildlife. Since the mid-20th century the rich ecology has increasingly been severely degraded by native forest clearance and subsistence farming, causing extensive erosion of the slopes.

Udzungwa Mountains

Udzungwa Mountains National Park

The Udzungwa Mountains are a mountain range in south-central Tanzania. The mountains are mostly within Iringa Region, south of Tanzania’s capital Dodoma. The Udzungwa Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species.

The mountains are home to the Hehe people, and the name Udzungwa comes from the Kihehe word “Wadzungwa”, which means the people who live on mountainsides. Iringa is the largest settlement in the mountains, and the regional headquarters.

Ukaguru Mountains

The Ukaguru Mountains are a mountain range in central Tanzania. The mountains are in Morogoro region, east of Tanzania’s capital Dodoma. The mountains are named for the Kaguru people. The Ukaguru Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species.

Uluguru Mountains

The Uluguru mountains are a mountain range in eastern Tanzania, named after the Luguru tribe. The main portion of the Uluguru mountains is a ridge running roughly north-south and rising to 2,630 metres (8,600 ft) altitude at its highest point. On the main Uluguru range, 50 villages touch the forest boundary and over 151,000 people are found within the mountain area, often at increasing densities at higher altitudes up to the forest boundary.

Usambara Mountains

The Usambara Mountains of northeastern Tanzania in tropical East Africa, comprise the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The ranges of approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) long and about half that wide, are situated in the Lushoto District of the Tanga Region. They were formed nearly two million years ago by faulting and uplifting, and are composed of Precambrian metamorphic rocks. They are split into two sub-ranges; the West Usambaras being higher than the East Usambaras, which are nearer the coast and receive more rainfall.

The mountains are clad in virgin tropical rainforest which has been isolated for a long period and they are a centre of endemism. Historically they were inhabited by Bantu, Shambaa, and Maasai people but in the eighteenth century, a Shambaa kingdom was founded by Mbegha. The kingdom eventually fell apart after a succession struggle in 1862. German colonists settled in the area which was to become German East Africa, and after World War I it became part of the British mandated territory of Tanganyika.

Uvidunda Mountains

The Uvidunda Mountains are a mountain range in Tanzania, in Tanzania’s Morogoro Region. They are named for the Vidunda people. The Uvidunda mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The range consists of a single block with three distinct peaks, Chonwe, Mgwila, and Migomberama, which exceed 1500 meters elevation. The Rubeho Mountains are close to the northwest, and the Udzungwa Mountains are immediately to the southwest across the Great Ruaha River. Southeast of the mountains the Great Ruaha river emerges onto a plain. Malundwe Mountain lies to the east in Mikumi National Park. The Mkata Plain opens to the northeast.

Taita Hills

The Taita Hills, sometimes also spelled as Teita Hills, are a mountain range located in the Taita-Taveta County in south-eastern Kenya. The hills consist of three massifs: Dawida, Sagalla in the southern side of Voi township and Kasigau in the south near the border of Tanzania. The Dawida massif is the largest and tallest of the three, with an altitude of 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level at its highest peak, Vuria. Dabida has three other main peaks: Iyale, Wesu, and Susu

South Pare Mountains

The South Pare Mountains is a mountain range located entirely within Same District of Kilimanjaro Region of northern Tanzania, extending from Vumari ward on the border with Mwanga District to Kalemawe ward in on the border with Lushoto District in Tanga Region. The range is part of the Eastern Arc Mountains chain in East Africa. With the North Pare Mountains they make up the Pare Mountains chain. The North and South Pare mountains are named after the original inhabitants of the area, the Pare people. The highest peak in South Pare is Shengena Peak at 2,463m.

The average elevation of the highlands is 907m. One Nature Reserve (Chome) and eight gazetted Forest Reserves (Chambogo, Kiranga-Hengae, Chongweni, Kankoma, Kisiwani, Vumari, Kwizu, Maganda), two proposed Forest Reserves (Kwamwenda, Mwala), and three proposed Village Forest Reserves (Dido, Mambugi, Ishereto) make up the South Pare mountains. They cover a total of 27,168 hectares. The forest habitat in Chome varies from sub-montane to montane and upper montane, with some montane heath. In the sub-montane forest, Parinari excelsa grows abundantly, while in the montane forest, Ocotea usambarensis, Albizia gummifera, and Podocarpus latifolius thrive.

Rubeho Mountains

The Rubeho Mountains are a mountain range in central Tanzania. The mountains in Dodoma and Morogoro regions, southeast of Tanzania’s capital Dodoma. The Rubeho Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species.

Ukwiva Forest Reserve (54,635 hectares), Mafwemiro Forest Reserve [3,238 hectares], and Mangalisa Forest Reserve [4,988 hectares] are among the protected areas. Ukwiva covers the northeastern portion of the main plateau, and includes the mountains’ largest block of evergreen montane forest on the eastern slopes, and dry montane forest at 1,600–1,700 m. Pala Mountain Forest Reserve (108.34 km²) includes the transitional evergreen forests in the Pala Mountains, just east of the main plateau. Mafwemiro is northwest of Ukivwa. Mangalisa is a separate mountain block west of the main plateau, north of the Great Ruaha River. Mangalisa forest reserve includes patches of disturbed dry high-elevation semi-evergreen woodland, and Podocarpus-dominated montane forest in the southern part of the reserve

Mount Kenya

Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: Kĩrĩnyaga, Kamba, Ki Nyaa) is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (5,199 metres or 17,057 feet), Nelion (5,188 m or 17,021 ft) and Point Lenana (4,985 m or 16,355 ft). Mount Kenya is located in the former Eastern and Central provinces of Kenya; its peak is now the intersection of Meru, Embu, Laikipia, Kirinyaga, Nyeri and Tharaka Nithi counties, about 16.5 kilometres (10.3 miles) south of the equator, around 150 km (90 mi) north-northeast of the capital Nairobi. Mount Kenya is the source of the name of the Republic of Kenya.

Mount Kenya is a volcano created approximately 3 million years after the opening of the East African Rift. Before glaciation, it was 7,000 m (23,000 ft) high. It was covered by an ice cap for thousands of years. This has resulted in very eroded slopes and numerous valleys radiating from the peak. There are currently 11 small glaciers, which are shrinking rapidly, and may disappear by 2050. The forested slopes are an important source of water for much of Kenya.

There are several vegetation bands from the base to the peak. The lower slopes are covered by different types of forest. Many alpine species are endemic to Mount Kenya, such as the giant lobelias and senecios and a local subspecies of rock hyrax. An area of 715 km² (276 sq mi) around the centre of the mountain was designated a National Park and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The park receives over 16,000 visitors per year.

Mbulu Highlands

The Mbulu Highlands is a plateau in north-central Tanzania. The Mbulu Highlands lie between the basins of Lake Eyasi to the west and Lake Manyara to the east. The highlands extend northeast-southwest. A steep northeast-southwest-running escarpment bounds the highlands on the east, overlooking the basins of Lake Manyara, and further south, Lake Balangida. The plateau descends less steeply in a series of ridges and valleys to Lake Eyasi to the west and the Yaeda Valley to the southwest. To the north lies the volcanic Ngorongoro Highlands. The volcanic peak of Mount Hanang rises south of Lake Balangida.

The highlands lie mostly in Mbulu District of Manyara Region, extending northwards into Karatu District of Arusha Region. The principal town on the plateau is Mbulu.

The plateau ranges from 1500 to 2300 meters in elevation. Mean annual rainfall is 1000 mm or more in the highlands, higher than in the surrounding lowlands. Rainfall can vary greatly from year to year. June to September are the driest months, with little or no rainfall. Cool, foggy conditions often prevail, particularly in the mornings, which reduce evaporation and help sustain the plateau’s farms and forests.

The plateau is home to the Iraqw people, who practice intensive agriculture using a broad variety of crops and agricultural terraces. The cultivated areas are mostly above 1800 meters elevation.

The natural vegetation of the plateau is mostly miombo woodland. In the northern highlands, volcanic grasslands occur on soils formed from volcanic ash. Montane evergreen forests occur at higher elevations.^[3] The plateau has two forest reserves, Nou (305.19 km²) and Hassama (49.01 km²). Drier Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets occupy the Eyasi and Manyara lowlands.

Tanzania’s B141 highway crosses the highlands, running through Mbulu on its way from Madukani east of the highlands to Singida in the southwest.

Mount Meru (Tanzania)

Mount Meru is a dormant stratovolcano located 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Mount Kilimanjaro in southeast Arusha Region, Tanzania. At a height of 4,562.13 metres (14,968 ft), it is visible from Mount Kilimanjaro on a clear day, and is the fifth-highest of the highest mountain peaks of Africa, dependent on definition.

Mount Meru is located just north of the city of Arusha, in the Arusha Region of Tanzania. It is the second-highest mountain in Tanzania, after Mount Kilimanjaro. Mount Meru is also the highest mountain/point in Arusha Region. The Momella route – which starts at Momella gate, on the eastern side of the mountain – is used to climb Mount Meru.

Much of its bulk was lost about 7,800 years ago due to a summit collapse. Mount Meru most recently had a minor eruption in 1910. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity. Mount Meru’s caldera is 2.2 miles (3.5 km) wide.

Mount Meru is the topographic centerpiece of Arusha National Park. Its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savanna and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, and also monkeys and leopards.

The movie Hatari! was filmed at the foot of Mountain Meru.

Mount Moroto

Mount Moroto, also Moroto Mountain (3,083 m or 10,115 ft), is a mountain in the Northeastern part of Uganda.

The native name for this mountain was “Moru To” (meaning “the western mountain” derived from the words “Moru” meaning mountain and “To” meaning west). It was named so because during the migration of the native tribes, who originated from Ethiopia, it appeared west. The natural springs on the slopes of the mountain coalesce to form springs and small rivers. The World Food Program is teaching the Karimajong people how to harvest and store that water and use it to irrigate agricultural produce for household food and for income generation

Mount Elgon National Park

Mount Elgon National Park is a national park 140 kilometres (87 mi) northeast of Lake Victoria. The park covers an area of 1,279 square kilometres (494 sq mi) and is bisected by the border of Kenya and Uganda. The Ugandan part of the park covers 1,110 km² (430 sq mi) while the Kenyan part covers 169 km² (65 sq mi). The Kenyan part of the park was gazetted in 1968, the Ugandan part in 1992.Prior to colonial administration, the land around Mount Elgon was managed based on indigenous power structures and rules, which forbade certain excessive utilization of natural resources on the communally owned upper elevations of the mountain. Demand for these resources was met sustainably because the human population density in the surrounding area was many times smaller than it is today.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (UK: /(ə)ŋˌɡɔːrəŋˈɡɔːroʊ/, US: /ɛŋˌɡɔːroʊŋˈɡɔːroʊ, əŋˌɡoʊrɔːŋˈɡoʊroʊ/) is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ngorongoro District, 180 km (110 mi) west of Arusha City in Arusha Region, within the Crater Highlands geological area of northern Tanzania. The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera within the area. The conservation area is administered by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, an arm of the Tanzanian government, and its boundaries follow the boundary of the Ngorongoro District in Arusha Region. The western portion of the park abuts the Serengeti National Park (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the area comprising the two parks and Kenya’s Maasai Mara game reserve is home to Great Migration, a massive annual migration of millions of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, and other animals. The conservation area also contains Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world.

The 2009 Ngorongoro Wildlife Conservation Act placed new restrictions on human settlement and subsistence farming in the Crater, displacing Maasai pastoralists, most of whom had been relocated to Ngorongoro from their ancestral lands to the north when the British colonial government established Serengeti National Park in 1959.

Nguruman Escarpment

Nguruman Escarpment is an escarpment in southern Kenya. The escarpment is around 50 kilometres long and elongated in N-W direction. Its northern edge approximately 120 km southwest of Nairobi, while the southern edge is near the Tanzanian border, at the northwestern corner of Lake Natron. The Southern Ewaso Ng’iro river flows southward along the foot of the escarpment, while Loita Hills are located west of the escarpment. The escarpment forms the western wall of the Great Rift Valley. Below it are the vast plains and the volcanic hills of the Great Rift Valley and in the distance are Lake Magadi and Lake Natron.

The valley floor is about 900m above sea level, while the elevation of the crest of the escarpment is about 2300m.

The Shompole Conservancy is located along Nguruman Escarpment.

Mount Hanang

Mount Hanang is a mountain in Tanzania. The peak has an elevation of 3,420 m above sea level. Hanang is located in Manyara Region, Hanang District. It is (after Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru and Mount Loolmalasin) the fourth-highest mountain in Tanzania, if you count the three peaks of Kilimanjaro as one mountain.

The principal path to the summit starts in the town of Katesh. The climb can be done in one day (10 hours), but it is also common for climbers to spend one night in a tented camp on the mountain and reach the summit on the second day.

East African montane forests

The East African montane forests is a montane tropical moist forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. The ecoregion comprises several separate areas above 2000 meters in the mountains of South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. 35% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Aberdare National Park, Mount Kenya National Park, Mount Elgon National Park, Kilimanjaro National Park, Arusha National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Kidepo Game Reserve, Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Lake Bogoria National Reserve.

Belle National Forest

Sinoe has the highest forest cover in Liberia and high potential for effective management and development of forest resources. 85% of Sinoe County consists of primary forests.

Gbi National Forest

The Gibi National Forest is found in Liberia. It was established in 1960. This site is 607 km².

Gio National Forest

The Gio National Forest is a forest area situated in central Nimba County, Liberia. It was established in 1960 and covers an area of about 327 km².

One of the largest forests in Liberia, located in the southeastern part of the country, is now under threat from locals who are building their farms inside it.

The estimate terrain elevation above sea level is 268 metres.

It is a forest that belongs to the vegetation class V

Gola National Forest

The Gola National Forest proclaimed in Liberia in 1960. The site covers an area of 206,990 ha. Situated in north-west Liberia (linking to Sierra Leone), it is one of the largest remaining intact areas of seasonal dense moist evergreen and semi-deciduous forest in the whole region

Grebo National Forest

Kpelle National Forest

The Kpelle National Forest is found in Liberia. It was established in 1961. This site is 1748 km²

Krahn-Bassa National Forest

Lorma National Forest

Nimba National Forest

North Loma National Forest

Sapo National Forest

Sapo National Park is a national park in Sinoe County, Liberia. It is the country’s largest protected area of rainforest, was the first national park established in the country, and contains the second-largest area of primary tropical rainforest in West Africa after Taï National Park in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire. Agriculture, construction, fishing, hunting, human settlement, and logging are prohibited in the park.

Sapo National Park is located in the Upper Guinean forest ecosystem,^[7] a biodiversity hotspot that has “the highest mammal species diversity of any region in the world”, according to Conservation International, and in the Western Guinean lowland forests ecoregion, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s ecoregions classification scheme

Cèdre Gouraud Forest

Cèdre Gouraud Forest is a woodland area in the Middle Atlas Mountain Range in Morocco. It was named for the French general Henri Gouraud. This forest is located on National Route 8 between Azrou and Ifrane. The forest is notable as a habitat for a sub-population of Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus.

Koroko Forest

Koroko Forest( in arabic :غابة كوروكو)is a forest full of trees and plants loving the wet areas in the north of the Kingdom of Morocco and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. The Koroko Highlands region is an ecological and biological site, covering an area of about 5,400 hectares, of which 1,800 hectares are densely forested.

The Koroko forest belongs to the province of Nador and contains important animal populations, the most important of which are the Barbary macaque and the wild boar. And many types of trees such as green pine, cypress, eucalyptus, oak and thuya, covering a surface of 5,200 hectares.

Gishwati Forest

Gishwati Forest is a forest in the north-western part of Rwanda, not far from Lake Kivu. It is part of Gishwati–Mukura National Park. The area’s forests were largely intact in 1978, and substantial forest cover still remained in 1986. During the Rwandan genocide, wave after wave of refugees arrived in Gishwati Forest and began clearing it, often for subsistence farming. By 2001, only a small circular patch of native forest remained, 1,500 acres (6.1 km²) of the forest’s original 250,000. In addition to tremendous loss of biodiversity, the region experiences soil erosion and degradation and landslides. Reforestation efforts in the past few years have increased the remnant native forest to about 2,500 acres (10 km²). Large tea estates occupy the central and northern parts of the reserve.

Nyungwe Forest

The Nyungwe Forest (/nj–ʌŋ–ɡwɛ/) is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainforest is probably the best preserved montane rainforest in Central Africa. It is located in the watershed between the basin of the river Congo to the west and the basin of the river Nile to the east. From the east side of the Nyungwe forest comes also one of the branches of the Nile sources.

Nyungwe National Park was established in 2004 and covers an area of approximately 1,019 km² (393 sq mi) of rainforest, bamboo, grassland, swamps, and bogs. The nearest town is Cyangugu, 54 km (34 mi) to the west. Mount Bigugu (2,921 m (9,583 ft)) is located within the park borders. In October 2020, the Rwanda Development Board signed an agreement with African Parks to assume management of Nyungwe National Park for an initial 20 years

Farangbaia Forest Reserve

Farangbaia Forest Reserve is a forest reserve with a rainforest ecosystem in Sierra Leone. The Reserve covers an area of 1,260 hectares, is located approximately 10 km to the south-east of the town of Bumbuna and forms part of the catchment area for the Seli River. Since the outbreak of Sierra Leone civil war in 1991 much of the reserve has become farmland and bush forest and there a number sawmills operating there.

Kambui Hills Extensions Forest Reserve

The Kambui Hills and Extensions Forest Reserve is found in Sierra Leone. This site is 143 km²

Kambui Hills Forest Reserve

The Kambui Hills Forest Reserve occupies an area of 14,335 hectares in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. It is located 10 kilometres from the town of Kenema with terrain consisting of steep slopes that reach an altitude of between 100 and 645 metres. The area mainly contains forest habitat but there is also some savanna and wetland. Over 200 separate species of birds have been recorded in the reserve including vulnerable species the white-necked picathartes and green-tailed bristlebill and near threatened species the yellow-casqued hornbill, rufous-winged illadopsis and copper-tailed glossy-starling.

Kangari Hills Forest Reserve

Kangari Hills Forest Reserve is a non-hunting forest reserve in the centre of Sierra Leone. The area became a forest reserve in 1924. Lying between 200 and 500 metres above sea level, the reserve has an area of 8,573 hectares (85.73 km²), although parts of it area have been encroached upon by farming and mining. The Reserve is one of the few places in Sierra Leone where the endangered forest elephant survives.

Kasewe Forest Reserve

Kasewe Forest Reserve is an area of hills in the Moyamba District of Sierra Leone . It is designated as a forest reserve and contains moist semi-deciduous and evergreen forests that cover an area of 1.224 km². Made up of volcanic rock the hills stand about 500m above the interior plains of the country. The nearest town is Lunsar.

Despite the lack of credible data on the biodiversity of this forest reserve, it is still believed that a significant number of endangered mammal species live in it. It is also known that the reserve suffers great consequences from the huge deforestation

Sankan Biriwa (Tingi Hills) No Or Non Hunting Forest Reserve

The Sankan Biriwa (Tingi Hills) No or Non – Hunting Forest Reserve is found in Sierra Leone. It was established in 1947. This site is 118 km The reserve is located on the easternmost of the mountain ranges in Sierra Leone, close to the eastern border with the Republic of Guinea. The highest point is the Sankan Biriwa massif, on which there are two peaks separated by a narrow gorge. Both peaks rise above 1,800 m, with the northernmost, at 1,850 m, being the second-highest peak in the country. This massif is the source of tributaries of two major rivers, the Sewa and the Mano. The vegetation consists of forest-savanna mosaic from 305 m to 915 m elevation, shrub-savanna on the plateau at 915–1,650 m, and montane grassland above 1,680 m. Gallery forest occurs along the river tributaries at 450–915 m and, in places, up to 1,375 m

Tama Forest Reserve

The Tama Forest Reserve is found in Sierra Leone. It was established in 1926. This site is 170 km²

Tingi Hills Forest Reserve

The Tingi Hills Forest Reserve is located in a mountain range in the east of Sierra Leone and occupies an area of 118.85 km² (45.89 sq mi). It became a forest reserve in 1947 and a non-hunting forest reserve in 1973. The area reaches from an altitude of 400 to 1850 metres at the north peak of the dual peaked Sankan Biriwa massif. In the lower regions the area consists of forest interspersed with savannah then moves into shrub savannah and then mountain grassland at higher altitudes. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded in the area and the reserve is also home to western baboons and forest elephants.

Waterloo Forest Reserve

The Waterloo Forest Reserve is found in Sierra Leone, Africa.

This site is 0.85 km².

Budongo Forest

The Budongo Forest in Uganda is northwest of the capital city Kampala on the way to Murchison Falls National Park, and is located on the escarpment northeast of Lake Albert. It is known for its former abundance of East African mahogany trees as well as being home to a population of chimpanzees. An exceptionally large mahogany tree is still found here, and is more than 80 meters tall and some 20 meters in circumference.

Bugoma Forest

The Bugoma Forest is a protected tropical forest that is situated southwest of Hoima and northeast of Kyenjojo towns, and east of Lake Albert, in the Hoima district of western Uganda. It was gazetted in the 1930s and came under the mandate of the National Forestry Authority (NFA) in 2003. Its surface area is given as between 41,142 hectares (411.42 km²) and 65,000 hectares (650 km²).

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a large primeval forest located in south-western Uganda in the Kanungu District. The Bwindi forest is on the edge of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, at elevations ranging from 1,160 to 2,607 metres (3,806 to 8,553 ft). The forest contains around 160 species of trees and over 100 species of ferns

Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation

The Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC) is a post-graduate research institute based in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest,^[1] in south-western Uganda. The institute is a semi-autonomous part of Mbarara University of Science and Technology and is focused on research, training, and monitoring for conservation management in the Albertine Rift ecoregion.

ITFC is located on the Eastern border of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Ruhija village, Rubanda district of South Western Uganda. The long history of ITFC’s work in ecological and sociological research has established it as a leading post graduate research institution and field station. With over 200 publications about conservation in the region and a wealth of national, regional and international partners and donors – ITFC’s work in conservation has influenced the direction of conservation the world over, and more specifically in the Albertine Rift ecoregion.

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a tropical moist broadleaf forest in the Afromontane Albertine Rift montane forests ecoregion. It is primarily protected within the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP).

Itwara Central Forest Reserve

Itwara Central Forest Reserve is a body of medium altitude moist semi-deciduous forest in the Kyenjojo District, western Uganda. It is 87 km² in size and is partly used as protection and production forest area by the NFA. 258 plant species have been identified within the forest of which trees compose 248. A group of 120 chimpanzees has been reported living there. Seven species are endemic to this eco-region and 10 are threatened. Bordering the forests are tea plantations and communities living from subsistence agriculture. Problems in the past have been poaching and encroachment in the northern part of the reserve.

Mabira Forest

The Mabira Forest is a rainforest area covering about 300 square kilometres (120 sq mi) (30,000 hectares (74,000 acres)) in Uganda, located in Buikwe District, between Lugazi and Jinja. It has been protected as Mabira Forest Reserve since 1932. It is home for many endangered species like the primate Lophocebus ugandae.

Maramagambo Forest

Maramagambo Forest is located in Bushenyi, Uganda. It adjoins the Queen Elizabeth National Park to the north. It is jointly managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the National Forestry Authority. It is associated with its bat cave where a tourist from the Netherlands was exposed to Marburg virus present in the bats that live in the volcanic tube cave and developed Marburg virus disease. Following this outbreak, the cave was closed until the construction of a viewing platform with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The forest is bordered by two crater lakes named Lake Kyasanduka and Lake Nyamasingiri. Many chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys and Bates’s pygmy antelopes can be found here

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a national park in southwestern Uganda. It was created in 1991 and covers an area of 33.9 km² (13.1 sq mi).

Mpanga Central Forest Reserve

The Mpanga Central Forest Reserve is a Forest Reserve in Uganda. It is a small patch of natural equatorial rainforest covering 453 hectares (1,120 acres). It is situated in Mpigi District, Mpambire, 37 km southwest of Kampala City. Onsite is Mpanga Forest Resort managed by Global Afric Safaris since 2018.

Zika Forest

The Zika (or Ziika) Forest ( /ˈziːkə/) is a tropical forest near Entebbe in Uganda. Ziika means “overgrown” in the Luganda language. As the property of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) of Entebbe, it is protected and restricted to scientific research.

The forest covers an area of about 25 hectares (62 acres) next to the swamps of Waiya Bay, an inlet of Lake Victoria. Easily accessible and combining several ecosystems, the Zika Forest is well suited to the study of mosquitoes. According to the UVRI, the size of the research area of the forest is about 12 hectares (30 acres). The forest has a rich biodiversity in plants and moths, and is home to about 40 types of mosquitoes. The UVRI also maintains an insectarium.

The forest is also accessible to visitors for bird watching. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter once visited the forest for that purpose.

The Zika virus as well as the moths Sidisca zika and Milocera zika are named after the forest.

The Zika Forest is where the infected Aedes mosquito first spread Zika to rhesus monkeys, then spreading further to humans

Zoka Forest

Zoka Forest is a natural tropical rain forest in the Northern Region of Uganda. The forest is a component of the larger East Moyo Wildlife Reserve.

Sango Bay forests

The Sango Bay forests are distinctive forests found in southwestern Uganda, near the border with Tanzania. The Sango Bay forests grow on seasonally-flooded lowlands near on the lower reaches of the Kagera River, just west of where it empties into Lake Victoria.

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