Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Located in the northern half of Bioko island, the area, designated a National Park in 2000, comprises the montane area of Basilé Peak, above the 800 m contour. Relief is extremely rugged. The vegetation comprises montane forest and, at highest altitudes, montane bushland and thicket, and is relatively undisturbed. There are no settlements above 800 m, but levels of human activity on the site are high. There is a trail up the north-eastern slope to a radio booster-station on the summit.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. A total of 70 bird species, all thought to be resident, have been recorded. These include, in addition to the endemic
Speirops brunneus which is restricted to this site, 28 species which occur as endemic races on Bioko. It is possible that
Picathartes oreas may yet be found in the less explored areas.
Non-bird biodiversity: Five species of primate of global conservation concern occur—Cercopithecus preussi (EN), C. erythrotis (VU), Colobus satanas (VU), Procolobus badius (LR/nt) and Mandrillus leucophaeus (VU)—as does the ungulate Cephalophus ogilbyi (LR/nt). One fish and three reptile species are endemic to the island.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Although identified as a protected area since 1988, Basilé Peak was only given legal status, as a National Park, in 2000. No management plans yet exist and there are no research or conservation projects in progress or planned. Hunting by snare and shotgun is widespread and the trail to the radio station is used for shipping bush-meat out by vehicle for sale in Malabo. Fires in 1983 and 1992 burned 500 ha of forest and thicket between 2,000 m and 2,700 m. Since 1992, the bark of the tree
Prunus africana has been harvested for its pharmaceutical properties. This practice which, because of the methods employed, kills the trees, is threatening the integrity of the montane forest between 1,800 m and 2,500 m, where
P. africana is a dominant species.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Basilé Peak National Park (Equatorial Guinea). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/basilé-peak-national-park-iba-equatorial-guinea on 23/11/2024.
