Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Gashaka-Gumti is the largest of Nigeria’s eight National Parks. It is located in the east of the country, against the Cameroon border, north-east of the Obudu Plateau (NG001). Part of it is situated on the mountainous Mambilla Plateau and is, therefore, part of a westward extension of the Cameroon mountains; the site is contiguous with Tchabel Mbabo in Cameroon (IBA CM009). There are also extensive lowland areas. The landscape is undulating and rugged, with some escarpments rising up to 2,400 m, which makes the park largely inaccessible except on foot. An extensive system of pristine streams and rivers drain the park and join to form the Taraba river which, in turn, discharges into the Benue. The park is a heterogenous mix of habitats comprising montane forests and grasslands, derived savanna with relict lowland forests, riparian forest and Sudan–Guinea Savanna woodlands. Plants commonly found in the park include
Terminalia superba,
Khaya grandifoliola, and
Milicia excelsa in lowland forest areas,
Syzygium guineense,
Prunus africana and
Ilex mitis in montane forests,
Loudetia simplex and
Andropogon spp. in montane grasslands and
Daniellia oliveri,
Lophira lanceolata,
Afzelia africana,
Isoberlinia doka and
Burkea africana in the Sudan–Guinea Savanna woodlands. Annual rainfall is in the range 1,000–1,750 mm and the length of the dry season varies between five months in the drier, lower parts to two months in the wetter montane areas.
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. With some 366 species so far recorded in the still relatively poorly explored park, Gashaka-Gumti can lay claim to being the most ornithologically diverse site in Nigeria.
Dendropicos poecilolaemus may also occur, as the only Nigerian record of the species was from nearby Serti. It is one of only two sites where
Columba unicincta and
Pseudoalcippe abyssinica have been recorded and the only known site for
Cercotrichas hartlaubi.
Non-bird biodiversity: Some 103 species of mammals (over one-third of Nigeria’s list, see Happold 1987) have been recorded. It is the only site in Nigeria at which Hylochoerus meinertzhageni is fairly common. A population of about 2,000 Pan troglodytes (EN) inhabits the area. Loxodonta africana (EN), Lycaon pictus (EN), Taurotragus derbianus (LR/nt), Hippotragus equinus (LR/cd) and Redunca fulvorufula (LR/cd) also occur. The latter is of the subspecies adamauae which is endemic to the Adamawa Plateau of Cameroon, of which this is a western extremity. About 55 species of fish including two possibly new species of the genera Bryconaethiops and Gobiocichcla have been reported. Some 300–500 species of butterflies (including five newly described species) are believed to occur.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Six designated enclaves, where activities such as pastoralism and cultivation are permitted, occur within the park. These activities are monitored to ensure compatibility with the park’s wider conservation objectives. Nonetheless, grazing is a problem in some parts. Larger human settlements, including nearby Gembu, Serti and Beli, undoubtedly contribute to pressure on the park’s resources. Despite anti-hunting regulations, large-scale subsistence hunting and some commercial poaching occurs. Due to improved road access in the area, deforestation as a result of an influx of farmers is increasing. Annual fires have given rise to the degraded montane forest patches in a few places. A management plan exists for the park and is being implemented by WWF-UK and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation in collaboration with the National Park Service.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Gashaka-Gumti National Park (Nigeria). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/gashaka-gumti-national-park-iba-nigeria on 22/11/2024.
