Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Bali-Ngemba Forest Reserve is located in the valley of the Alatening stream, south-west of Bamenda. The vegetation comprises a continuous band of submontane and montane forest, much of it degraded to varying degrees. There are large
Eucalyptus plantations between
c.1,350–1,600 m which are exploited for timber and fuelwood. Above 1,600 m there is a patchwork of natural forests and farms. Although the understorey of the forest is much cleared for the growing of coco-yams, maize, plantains
and potatoes, it retains a continuous canopy. Patches of intact forests are found mainly on the higher northern edge of the reserve. The reserve is completely surrounded and, except on the most inaccessible slopes, encroached by farmland, particularly for the cultivation of arabica coffee.
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. To date, 185 species have been recorded.
Tauraco bannermani is common above 1,800 m, but has been recorded down to 1,600 m and breeds in shade trees above cocoyam plantations. However, the relatively high density of
T.
bannermani may be due to immigration of birds displaced by forest clearance elsewhere.
Platysteira laticincta and
Malaconotus gladiator also occur and, as most of the forest lies between 1,400–1,800 m, the population of the latter may be healthy.
Phylloscopus herberti has been recorded recently. Five species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome (A04, Table 3) and 17 of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome (Table 3) also occur; the former include
Dendropicos poecilolaemus, the only IBA in Cameroon from which it has, to date, been recorded.
Non-bird biodiversity: Local reports indicate that Cercopithecus preussi (EN) may still survive, but probably not for long.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Bali-Ngemba is a production forest reserve, designated for commercial exploitation, and is hence poorly protected. Furthermore, most of the natural habitat is being cleared for farmland. Canopy cover is, however, kept as it is necessary for shade for cocoyam cultivation. There are several villages beside the reserve while the towns of Bamenda and Bali are close by; human pressure is therefore high. However, the remaining area of forest seems large enough to support the key species if conservation action is taken rapidly. The site also has high potential for ecotourism and educational activities. The Cameroon government agency for forestry development (ONADEF) has recently become involved in active management of the reserve, including the conservation of parts of it, and is promoting the reforestation of native trees along watercourses. A management plan for the reserve is being developed.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bali-Ngemba Forest Reserve (Cameroon). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bali-ngemba-forest-reserve-iba-cameroon on 22/12/2024.
