Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This montane forest, known as Njinsing, is located west of the road between Kumbo and Nkambe, north-east of Mount Oku (CM012). The site comprises a small stand of submontane and montane forest mostly between 1,800 m and 2,200 m, but which descends to Tabenken village at 1,600 m. It is completely surrounded by farmland or degraded savanna among montane pastures of
Sporobolus africanus. The vegetation is typically montane with emergent species including
Croton macrostachyus,
Podocarpus latifolius,
Polyscias fulva,
Albizia gummifera,
Schefflera abyssinica and
Prunus africana. The forest is greatly disturbed, as it is the main source of fuelwood for the surrounding villages.
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. A total of 80 species have so far been recorded, the result of a single day’s visit. Afrotropical Highland biome species are well represented and the site is particularly important for
Tauraco bannermani and
Platysteira laticincta, for both of which this is the northernmost site known. Three species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome (A05) also occur (see Table 3).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
This is the only remaining patch of montane forest in the area and its unprotected status means that it is heavily exploited for agriculture, timber, fuelwood and medicinal purposes. Some parts of the forest remain, however, largely intact which may be attributable to local taboo. However, this tradition is certainly under threat due to pressure for more agricultural land.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Njinsing - Tabenken (Cameroon). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/njinsing--tabenken-iba-cameroon on 23/12/2024.
