Content
Introduction
In an area stretching from West Africa to the eastern Congo Basin, there is a large area of evergreen rain forest, along with a variety of other forest types, including semideciduous forests and woodland savannahs. Two main blocks of evergreen rain forest occur, one located in West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Ghana, and the other in the Congo Basin, extending through Gabon and Cameroon into southern Nigeria. The forests of the Congo Basin are the most widely recognized, but significant areas of forest exist in West Africa, as far west as Senegal.
Patterns of concentrations of endemic plants and the presence of numerous species with disjunct distributions are indicative of past changes in the area of humid forest in the region. The detailed nature of these changes remains uncertain, as do the locations of all the Pleistocene refuges. Many of the current forests, particularly in West Africa, appear to have developed quite recently, and this is reflected in their structure and composition.
Knowledge of these forests is quite limited. Much information debates back to the colonial period, when detailed inventories were sometimes undertaken (usually with a view to assessing the timber potential of the forests). In more recent times, lack of capacity in the newly-independent countries, difficulties of access and ongoing local and regional conflicts have all resulted in a lack f systemtic investigations of the forests in many countries.
Outcomes
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
- Describe the rain forests found in western and central Africa
- Explain how the history of the forests has influenced their development
- Compare the forests of West Africa with those of the Congo Basin
- Assess the role of human disturbance in the structure and composition of the forests
Readings
Optional Readings
- Martin, C. 1991. The rainforests of West Africa. Ecology – threats – conservation. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhäuser 235 pp.
- Weber, W., White, L.J.T., Vedder, A. and Naughton-Treves, L. (eds.) African Rain Forest Ecology and Conservation. Princeton, New Jersey, USA: Yale University Press. 588 pp.
Self-check Quiz (For certificate learning only)
After viewing topic presentations, take this self-check quiz to check your own progress. This quiz is designed to see how well you remember some of the issues presented in the topic. There are five questions, and each has a potential of 4 answers, only one of which is correct. When you are ready, click the link 'Self-check Quiz 5.1.13' to start taking the quiz.
Case Study Discussion (For certificate learning only)
Once you have have read the presentation, post a question about the ecology of the rain forests of West and Central Africa, and answer/respond to at least one other question on the discussion board Case Study 13 Discussion - Guineo-Congolian Forests.
Summary
Rain forests in West and Central Africa cover a large area, and show considerable variation. Several attempts have been made to classify the forests, but many uncertainties remain. Many of the forests appear to be in a dynamic state, recovering from past disturbance, and this complicates any classification.
The ecology of the forests is also poorly known, and many species are only known from one or two records. Many have never been observed in the wild, and there is a lack of detailed observations that could be used to build up an understanding of the ecology of the forests.
Self-review (For self learning)
To review what you have learned in the topic, you are encouraged to use the following reflection questions as a study guide to do a self-review for the topic:
- How would you describe the rain forests found in western and central Africa?
- Can you explain how the history of the forests in western and central Africa has influenced their development?
- How do the forests of West Africa compare with those of the Congo Basin?
- What is the role of human disturbance in the structure and composition of the Guineo-Congolian forests?
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