Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains
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Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains-TroPEG 2016 Page i TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon TroPEG Cameroon Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains-TroPEG 2016 Page ii Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains A case study of Protected Areas in Cameroon: Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve (RHFR) and the Kimbi Fungom National Park (KFNP). Technical Report Submitted to the Rufford Small Grant Foundation, UK By Sainge Nsanyi Moses Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG) Cameroon P.O. Box 18 Mundemba, South West Region, Cameroon January 2016 Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains-TroPEG 2016 Page iii To cite this work: M. N. Sainge, 2016. Patterns of distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains: A case study of Protected Areas in Cameroon: Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve (RHFR) and the Kimbi Fungom National Park (KFNP). Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG) Cameroon. Author: M. N. Sainge Title: Patterns of distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains Subtitle: A case study of Protected Areas in Cameroon: Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve (RHFR) and the Kimbi Fungom National Park (KFNP). Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG) Cameroon P.O. Box 18 Mundemba, Ndian, Southwest Region [email protected], [email protected] (+237) 677513599 Edited by: Ngoh Michael Lyonga and Benedicta Jailughe Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG) Cameroon Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains-TroPEG 2016 Page iv Acknowledgement We recognize the sponsorship of the Rufford Small Grant Foundation (RSG), UK; this piece of work would not have been realised without this funding (RSG reference 16712-B). We are grateful to the Government of Cameroon for granting us authorization to carry out this work through the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation (MINRESI) and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF). Our gratitude goes to the Regional Delegate of Forestry and Wildlife, North West Region (Mme Mbah Grace), the Conservator of Kimbi Fungom National Park (Chris Formuyam), and the Chief of Post of Forestry and Wildlife for Fungom (Mpouop Ulrich) for all their assistance during field work. The Divisional Officers of Ekondo-titi and Fungom Sub Divisions, Mr Edwin Ngwana and Mr Edward Egbe Forxah respectively are highly appreciated for all logistic issues they incurred during our stay in their sub-division. We also extend our gratitude to the Director and staff of the Buea archives for their cooperation which enabled us to get the necessary information for the literature review of this work. We recognize here the head of the National Herbarium of Cameroon (Dr. Jean-Michel Onana), in Yaounde for granting us permission in the herbarium to identify plant specimens, and also Mr Paul Mezili for his assistance during plant specimens’ identification Dr. Vivian Manka and Mr Ngendoh Zedekiah of the University of Buea are appreciated for their helping hands in the production of field maps. Pr. Chuyong B. George of the University of Buea is also appreciated for all his technical advice during this project period. We appreciate the Fon of Esu (His Majesty Fon Kum-a-Ghuo II), the Chief council of Tunka- Esu (Mr Kum Olivier Ngah), the Chief of Kpep (Akaf=Benzeen) (Chief Omah Jama Lucas), the Chief of Munyange (Chief Jonas Maliki Etongwe), the Chief of Dikome Balue (Chief Sakwe Cyril), and the Chief of Matamani (Chief Okanyene Christopher Itoe) for their hospitality. Our gratitude also goes to all who assisted us in the field and thereafter (See Annex 1). We are also pleased with the effort of the driver Mr Taah Christopher (fondly called “Kock Kock”) who is the lone transporter along the road linking Wum to Kpep with his old 4x4 vehicle. The efforts of the other drivers who assisted us to Dikome Balue, Munyange, and Matamani are also appreciated. Benedicta Jailughe and Ngoh Michael Lyonga of Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG) Cameroon are highly appreciated for their endless effort from the inception of this project, implementation and reporting. We also appreciated their effort in editing this piece of work. Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains-TroPEG 2016 Page v Executive summary The Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve (RHFR) and the Kimbi-Fungom National Park (KFNP) are protected areas in Cameroon that were created as follows: In 1937 the Rumpi Hills Native Authority Forest under the Kumba Division was created with a surface area of 458.2 km2 (Forestry Ordinance 51, 1941). From 1937 till date, the status of the forest has not changed. However, today some people call it Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve (RHFR) while others call it Rumpi Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. It is worth noting that despite these names, there is no signed official document changing the status of the 1937 Native Forest. This forest remains one of the protected areas in Cameroon with no definite field activity and no government conservator assigned to manage and monitor its affairs. The reserve has benefited from few plant survey (Thomas 1996) despite its scientific importants. The Fungom Native Authority forest under the Bamenda Division was created in1936. In1964 the Kimbi Wildlife sanctuary in Boyo was also created. In February 2015, the Kimbi Wildlife Sanctuary was merged with the Fungom Native Authority Forest to give birth to the Kimbi Fungom National Park (KFNP). The KFNP with a total surface area of 953.8 km2 is just begining to benefit from scientific exploration with this study being one of the recent detail surveys on the plants of this newly created and only national park in the region. These two protected areas (RHFR and KFNP) are key areas for biodiversity conservation because they stretch across different vegetation and habitat types of Atlantic Biafran forest, piedmont, Submontane, Degrated Submontane, Montane, semi-decideous, woody and grassland savanna. They are contrary to each other in terms of climate patterns hence RHFR is geographically located in a rainforest zone whereas the KFNP is in a dry zone, forming an ecotone. These protected areas are situated within three biodiversity hotspots: the Cameroon Mountains, the Guinean Forest of West Africa Biodiversity Hotspot and the Cameroon-Nigeria Chimpanzee biodiversity hotspot. To fill the gap of lack of information in these two protected areas, a preliminary survey has been carried out by TroPEG Cameroon with funds from the Rufford Small Grant Foundation (Booster grant). Our objectives in this work was to understand the biodiversity patterns of plants of these protected areas, record and develop a check list for endemic and threaten plants for each site. Forty-two (42) ha were sampled at different vegetation types, and gradients in the wet Rumpi Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains-TroPEG 2016 Page vi Hills and dry Kimbi-Fungom. Twenty-five (25) ha were surveyed at RHFR and 17 ha at KFNP. Survey was carried out based on three categories: Plot transects of 500 x 20 whereby all trees with DBH ≥ 10 cm were measured, nested plots of 10 x 10 m whereby all trees with DBH 1-9.9 cm were measured, and an observational data which entails a general collection of plant specimens in flowers, fruits and sterile in the sample area. At the KFNP, tree heights were estimated in the field. A total of eleven vegetation types were sampled ranging from 52 to 1778 m. Aslo 22, 561 stems were recorded in about 812species. 307 species could not be identified to family and species. Due to the richness of this survey results, we are interested in extending this survey to other mountain sites within the range: Mt Cameroon, Nlonako, Kupe, Maneguamba, Lebialem highlands, Mt Bamboutoes, Bali and Bafut Ngemba, Mt Oku, Kagwene, Mbi Crater to Tchabal Mbabo. By Sainge Nsanyi Moses TroPEG Cameroon Patterns of Distribution and Endemism of Plants in the Cameroon Mountains-TroPEG 2016 Page vii Table of Contents Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................................................ v Executive summary ...................................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................... viii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ xi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. xii Abbreviations ..............................................................................................................................................xiii Background ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 Field Survey