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The Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests ecoregion, of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, are in Afromontane habitats in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea of Africa.
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Setting
The ecoregion includes the distinct montane forests on the higher elevations of two volcanic peaks, Mount Cameroon, which lies in Cameroon near the coast, and Bioko, a volcanic island to the southwest in Equatorial Guinea.
Both Bioko and Mount Cameroon are part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line, a line of volcanoes that runs northeast-southwest across the Cameroon Highlands and extending into the Atlantic Ocean as the islands of Bioko, São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobon. At over 4,000m Mount Cameroon is the highest peak in west Africa, and is still an active volcano. The southwestern slopes of these mountains have a wet climate all-year round.
Flora
The montane forests of Mount Cameroon and Bioko are home to the distinct Afromontane flora of Africa's high mountains. The chief plant communities are montane forests, montane grasslands, and heathlands. At least 42 plant species are strictly endemic and another 50 near-endemic to Mount Cameroon.
Fauna
370 species of birds have been recorded on Mount Cameroon, including some endemics. There is less variety of mammals, and most larger mammals have disappeared, but there are some endemics such as the Cameroon soft-furred mouse (Praomys morio), and a greater variety of reptiles and amphibians including the endemic toad, Werneria preussi.
Conservation and threats
The forest of Mount Cameroon is threatened, especially at lower elevations, by conversion to agriculture and timber production, and are mostly unprotected. On Bioko Bioko some habitat is protected by Luba Crater Scientific Reserve.