Togo - West Africa - page 950

It is estimated that 5000 million birds from Europe and Asia migrate to tropical Africa every year, a jour-
ney of up to 11,000km - less than half make it home, either dying en route or preferring to remain in
Africa.
Back on land, other highly endangered species that have somehow survived the human
and climatic onslaught include the following:
» manatees (sea cows, a giant seal-like relative of the elephant) in Mali's Réserve d'Ansongo-Ménaka, in Senegal's Parc
National du Niokolo-Koba, or in mangrove and delta areas along the coast, including the Parque Nacional do Catanhez
in Guinea-Bissau
» one of the world's last colonies of monk seals along Mauritania's remote Atlantic coast
» olive baboons
» the Sahara's only amphibian, the spurred tortoise, in the remote Aïr Mountains of northern Niger
BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT: GUINEAN FORESTS OF WEST AFRICA
Of 34 internationally recognised 'biodiversity hotspots', eight are in Africa. In order to qualify as a biodiversity
hotspot, a region must contain at least 1500 species of vascular plants (ie more than 0.5% of the world's total) and
have lost at least 70% of its original habitat. Although only one of these - the Guinean forests of West Africa - is
in West Africa, it is so vast that it passes through nine out of the 17 West African countries. This hotspot covers
the heavily populated coastal belt and its hinterland, and includes Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire,
Ghana, Benin, Togo, Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon, as well as Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé & Prín-
cipe. As such, it's a hugely significant indicator of the state of West Africa's environment.
The original extent of West Africa's Guinean forests was 620,314 sq km, of which only 93,047 sq km remain.
It is also home to 31 endemic threatened birds, 35 endemic threatened mammals and 45 endemic threatened am-
phibians. The most prominent of the threatened mammals are pygmy hippos, Liberian mongooses, 12 primate
species (including chimpanzees and gorillas), the African golden cat and the elephant. It also has what is easily
the highest population density of any of the world's hotspots - 137 people per sq km.
The Guinean forests are home to 320 mammal species (more than 25% of Africa's mammals and including
more than 20 primate species), 785 bird species, 210 reptile species, 221 amphibian species and over 9000 plant
species, of which 1800 are endemic. Despite being such an important storehouse for Africa's biodiversity, less
than 20% of the territory is adequately protected. The hotspot's landmark conservation parks - Sapo National
Park (Liberia), Kakum National Park (Ghana), Korup National Park (Cameroon) and Takamanda National Park
(Cameroon) - provide an example of what can be done, but many more such protected areas are needed, as is the
development of conservation corridors, agro-forestry projects and a greater emphasis on ecotourism. Major
threats include unregulated logging, mining, hunting (especially the trade in bushmeat) and human encroachment.
Birds
West Africa lies along one of the busiest bird migratory routes between Europe and
Africa, and more than 1000 species have been recorded. Many of the species are endemic,
while others are passing migrants, flying down the Atlantic coast to and from their winter-
ing grounds, and some are African nomads moving within the continent in pursuit of sea-