Lagos, Nigeria

  • Global Location plan: 6.52ON, 3.38OE
  • Population 2016: 13,661
  • Projected population 2030: 24,239

Endangered species

Amphibians
  • Hemisus marmoratus
  • Hyperolius concolor
  • Phrynobatrachus latifrons
  • Arthroleptis variabilis
  • Aubria occidentalis
  • Ptychadena tellinii
  • Cardioglossa leucomystax
  • Sclerophrys perreti
  • Sclerophrys regularis
  • Afrixalus dorsalis
  • Afrixalus nigeriensis
  • Hyperolius fusciventris
  • Phrynomantis microps
  • Phrynobatrachus francisci
  • Hoplobatrachus occipitalis
  • Chiromantis rufescens
  • Hyperolius nitidulus
  • Xenopus tropicalis
  • Xenopus fischbergi
  • Afrixalus vittiger
  • Phrynobatrachus calcaratus
  • Amnirana albolabris
  • Arthroleptis poecilonotus
  • Nectophryne afra
  • Sclerophrys maculata
  • Hyperolius igbettensis
  • Ptychadena longirostris
  • Hemisus guineensis
  • Hyperolius guttulatus
  • Hyperolius sylvaticus
  • Kassina senegalensis
  • Leptopelis boulengeri
  • Leptopelis spiritusnoctis
  • Phrynobatrachus alleni
  • Phrynobatrachus batesii
  • Phrynobatrachus gutturosus
  • Phrynobatrachus natalensis
  • Phrynobatrachus plicatus
  • Amnirana galamensis
  • Ptychadena aequiplicata
  • Ptychadena bibroni
  • Ptychadena oxyrhynchus
  • Ptychadena pumilio
  • Leptopelis viridis
  • Geotrypetes seraphini
  • Xenopus fraseri
  • Afrixalus weidholzi
  • Ptychadena mascareniensis
  • Phrynobatrachus rainerguentheri
Mammals
  • Steatomys caurinus
  • Myonycteris leptodon
  • Hybomys trivirgatus
  • Scotonycteris zenkeri
  • Ichneumia albicauda
  • Megaptera novaeangliae
  • Mops condylurus
  • Mungos gambianus
  • Oenomys hypoxanthus
  • Crocidura poensis
  • Pan troglodytes
  • Ourebia ourebi
  • Otomops martiensseni
  • Crocidura dolichura
  • Procolobus verus
  • Pseudorca crassidens
  • Lemniscomys striatus
  • Genetta cristata
  • Mungos mungo
  • Herpestes ichneumon
  • Papio anubis
  • Nycticeinops schlieffeni
  • Crossarchus platycephalus
  • Atilax paludinosus
  • Mellivora capensis
  • Myopterus whitleyi
  • Nycteris macrotis
  • Praomys daltoni
  • Praomys derooi
  • Arvicanthis niloticus
  • Uranomys ruddi
  • Mops brachypterus
  • Neoromicia guineensis
  • Philantomba walteri
  • Felis silvestris
  • Mastomys natalensis
  • Mus musculoides
  • Chlorocebus tantalus
  • Epomops franqueti
  • Cephalophus rufilatus
  • Peponocephala electra
  • Galagoides thomasi
  • Tursiops truncatus
  • Funisciurus substriatus
  • Phacochoerus africanus
  • Panthera pardus
  • Panthera pardus
  • Scotophilus nigrita
  • Eptesicus platyops
  • Megaloglossus woermanni
  • Cephalophus silvicultor
  • Cercopithecus erythrogaster
  • Atelerix albiventris
  • Eidolon helvum
  • Gerbilliscus kempi
  • Glauconycteris poensis
  • Stenella longirostris
  • Balaenoptera musculus
  • Cercocebus torquatus
  • Leptailurus serval
  • Phataginus tetradactyla
  • Phataginus tricuspis
  • Galago senegalensis
  • Galagoides demidoff
  • Galago senegalensis ssp. senegalensis
  • Myopterus daubentonii
  • Pipistrellus inexspectatus
  • Cercopithecus nictitans
  • Galagoides demidoff ssp. demidoff
  • Scotoecus albofuscus
  • Colobus vellerosus
  • Physeter macrocephalus
  • Chaerephon pumilus
  • Trichechus senegalensis
  • Syncerus caffer
  • Cricetomys emini
  • Syncerus caffer
  • Crocuta crocuta
  • Stenella clymene
  • Nycteris gambiensis
  • Grammomys kuru
  • Grampus griseus
  • Caracal caracal
  • Chaerephon ansorgei
  • Chaerephon nigeriae
  • Chaerephon major
  • Dasymys rufulus
  • Hydrictis maculicollis
  • Heliosciurus rufobrachium
  • Epomophorus gambianus
  • Globicephala macrorhynchus
  • Kobus kob
  • Lophuromys sikapusi
  • Funisciurus leucogenys
  • Crocidura crossei
  • Perodicticus potto
  • Orcinus orca
  • Alcelaphus buselaphus
  • Thryonomys swinderianus
  • Mesoplodon europaeus
  • Kerivoula lanosa
  • Crocidura nigeriae
  • Orycteropus afer
  • Epomops buettikoferi
  • Crocidura viaria
  • Nandinia binotata
  • Civettictis civetta
  • Crossarchus platycephalus
  • Crocidura grandiceps
  • Crocidura lamottei
  • Cercopithecus mona
  • Delphinus delphis
  • Anomalurus beecrofti
  • Graphiurus nagtglasii
  • Neoromicia rendalli
  • Neoromicia somalica
  • Dendromus messorius
  • Scotoecus hirundo
  • Tragelaphus eurycerus
  • Tragelaphus scriptus
  • Lepus victoriae
  • Hipposideros abae
  • Genetta thierryi
  • Arvicanthis rufinus
  • Lagenodelphis hosei
  • Dendrohyrax dorsalis
  • Hipposideros gigas
  • Taterillus gracilis
  • Sousa teuszii
  • Hylomyscus pamfi
  • Praomys tullbergi
  • Hipposideros cyclops
  • Stenella coeruleoalba
  • Stenella frontalis
  • Steno bredanensis
  • Rhinolophus alcyone
  • Canis adustus
  • Graphiurus crassicaudatus
  • Nycteris arge
  • Saccolaimus peli
  • Redunca redunca
  • Steatomys jacksoni
  • Lemniscomys zebra
  • Xerus erythropus
  • Lissonycteris angolensis
  • Ziphius cavirostris
  • Mesoplodon densirostris
  • Delphinus capensis
  • Hipposideros caffer
  • Mops thersites
  • Sylvicapra grimmia
  • Scotophilus viridis
  • Rhinolophus landeri
  • Stochomys longicaudatus
  • Suncus megalura
  • Procavia capensis
  • Potamochoerus porcus
  • Kobus ellipsiprymnus
  • Rattus rattus
  • Lissonycteris angolensis
  • Cricetomys gambianus
  • Funisciurus anerythrus
  • Neoromicia nana
  • Hystrix cristata
  • Stenella attenuata
  • Tragelaphus spekii
  • Balaenoptera borealis
  • Anomalurus derbianus
  • Crocidura foxi
  • Kogia sima
  • Neoromicia tenuipinnis
  • Aonyx capensis
  • Atherurus africanus
  • Erythrocebus patas
  • Cercopithecus erythrogaster
  • Coleura afra
  • Herpestes sanguineus
  • Feresa attenuata
  • Heliosciurus gambianus
  • Hippopotamus amphibius
  • Hylomyscus alleni
  • Hipposideros abae
  • Hipposideros beatus
  • Hipposideros ruber
  • Hippotragus equinus
  • Hypsignathus monstrosus
  • Lavia frons
  • Loxodonta africana
  • Malacomys edwardsi
  • Malacomys longipes
  • Protoxerus aubinnii
  • Protoxerus stangeri
  • Mastomys erythroleucus
  • Mimetillus moloneyi
  • Micropteropus pusillus
  • Mops trevori
  • Nanonycteris veldkampii
  • Nycteris grandis
  • Nycteris hispida
  • Nycteris thebaica
  • Pipistrellus nanulus
  • Scotophilus dinganii
  • Balaenoptera edeni
  • Genetta maculata
  • Graphiurus kelleni
  • Kogia breviceps
  • Crocidura olivieri
  • Balaenoptera acutorostrata
  • Loxodonta africana
  • Loxodonta africana
  • Taphozous mauritianus
  • Cephalophus niger
  • Neoromicia capensis

Hotspot & Ecoregion Status

The Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot encompasses all of the lowland forests of political West Africa, stretching from Guinea and Sierra Leone eastward to the Sanaga River in Cameroon. It also includes islands in the Gulf of Guinea – Bioko, Annobon, São Tomé and Príncipe. The hotspot’s forests contribute to mediating climate change at a global scale. [1]

Species Statistics [2]

Number of species

Percentage of endemics

Notable species

Plants

>9,000

~20%

Birds

917

N/A

Mammals

390

~15%

Reptiles

>200

25%

Amphibians

269

~30%

Freshwater Fishes

1281

35%

Apart from great diversity, plants in the hotspot have high levels of local endemism at the species level, especially around Mount Cameroon and the Gulf of Guinea Islands. The Guinean Forests is amongst the world’s foremost hotspots for mammalian diversity, particularly for primate (30 types). It supports more than a quarter of the total mammal species found on the African continent. Both reptiles and amphibians are poorly documented in the hotspot. The diversity of freshwater fishes is phenomenal in the Guinean Forests; the highest densities of species are located within the Niger Delta and the Atlantic river catchments of Sierra Leone and Liberia. [3]

Many of the threats to biodiversity in the hotspot are linked to a high incidence of poverty, political instability, unsustainable practices, and civil conflict, and the increasing population. Deforestation is fueled by clearance of land for crops such as cacao, palm oil, and rubber. Animals are threatened by bushmeat hunting and wildlife trade. Though all the countries in the hotspot are parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), most need to strengthen their legal frameworks. Other factors include logging, overfishing (with unsustainable methods by both domestic and foreign fleets), oil and gas extraction, mining, industrial pollution, and fuelwood and charcoal production. In addition, low-lying coastal areas are vulnerable to sea level rise induced by climate change. [4]

CEPF’s US$8.3 million from 2001 to 2012 supported conservation projects in the Upper Guinean Forests subregion. The Ebola outbreak in 2014 delayed further plans, but the investment resumed in 2016. The current 9 million dollars (2016-2021) focuses on providing resources to civil society organizations at the grassroots, regional, national and international levels to establish long-term partnerships. [5]

Central African Mangroves

The Central African Mangroves encompasses mangrove areas along the coastlines of Ghana, Nigeria (covering Lagos), Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Angola. The vegetation structure varies considerably, from the lagoon systems in the west to complex patterns of sediment deposition at river mouths in the central and southern portions. Five species of mangroves in three families are found in this region, including the red mangroves ( Rhizophora racemosa , R. mangle , and R. harrisonii ), and the white mangroves ( Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia racemosa ), as well as an introduced species, Nypa fruticans . While these mangroves contain no endemic species, they are known for their diverse pelagic fish communities, abundant avifauna, and the presence of rare mammals and turtles. [6]

Mangroves are naturally fragmented habitat, but the total amount of area lost to urbanization, industrialization, agriculture, and timber and petroleum exploitation is significant and concerning. Oil spill hazards are especially probable in Nigeria, Gabon, and Cameroon. Other damaging practices include gas flaring, fishing by poison and dynamite, canalization, discharge of sewage and other pollutants, siltation, sand mining, embankment construction, and the growing population pressure in coastal areas. [7] At present, 18 percent of the ecoregion is terrestrially protected and with a 6.4 percent connectivity. [8]

Nigerian Lowland Forests

The Nigerian Lowland Forests ecoregion confined to a narrow band along the coast in the southwest of Nigeria. It is one of the most densely populated areas in Africa, and already showed high levels of human activity before colonial times. Thus, the forests have been fragmented for a long period of time, and the process has further accelerated considerably over the last four decades. The elevation generally increases gradually northwards, creating a plain with an average elevation of 150 m. The vegetation distribution is dependent on climatic zones, therefore, run roughly parallel to the coast and are increasingly drier further inland. The zones comprise the rain forest zone, the mixed deciduous forest zone, and the parkland zone. The last one is probably caused by anthropogenic conversion and maintained by annual bush fires. Levels of endemism in this ecoregion are low; only five strictly endemic animal species are present. [9] Amongst them, the Vulnerable red-bellied monkey [10] ( Cercopithecus erythrogaster ) reside only in forests containing Lagos and nearby coastal areas.

It is estimated that approximately 20 percent of all Sub-Saharan Africans live in Nigeria, a population of roughly 120 million people. The Nigerian population doubled since 1980, and the continuing growth puts tremendous pressure on the remaining habitat. The remnant forests are only protected in a few, mostly small areas, and still see varying degrees of human exploitation. Incursions by farmers due to shifting cultivation, logging, and hunting are the main threats. [11] Currently, 17 percent of the ecoregion is protected, which has a 11.28 percent of terrestrial connectivity. [12]

Biodiversity Policy/Planning

NBSAP

Nigeria’s revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2016-2020) was received in December, 2015. Closely linked to the global agenda’s five goals, the most important element is mainstreaming biodiversity into development planning to enhance sustainability. [13] The Plan identifies the main cause of habitat destruction to farming methods, the introduction of cash crops, and other direct extraction of natural resources. It also points out that with a growing population of currently over 140 million, poverty is the largest threat which exacerbates all exploitative activities. [14]


[1] CEPF. “Guinean Forests of West Africa.” Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/guinean-forests-west-africa.

[2] CEPF. “Guinean Forests of West Africa - Species.” Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/guinean-forests-west-africa/species.

[3] CEPF. “Guinean Forests of West Africa - Species.” Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/guinean-forests-west-africa/species.

[4] CEPF. “Guinean Forests of West Africa - Threats.” Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/guinean-forests-west-africa/threats.

[5] CEPF. “Guinean Forests of West Africa.” Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/guinean-forests-west-africa.

[6] WWF. “Western Africa | Ecoregions.” World Wildlife Fund. Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1401.

[7] WWF. “Western Africa | Ecoregions.” World Wildlife Fund. Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1401.

[8] “Central African Mangroves.” DOPA Explorer. Accessed August 5, 2019. https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/31401.

[9] WWF. “Western Africa: Southern Nigeria, Extending into Benin | Ecoregions.” World Wildlife Fund. Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at0123.

[10] “Red-Bellied Monkey.” IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.iucnredlist.org/en.

[11] WWF. “Western Africa: Southern Nigeria, Extending into Benin | Ecoregions.” World Wildlife Fund. Accessed August 5, 2019. https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at0123.

[12] “Nigerian Lowland Forests.” DOPA Explorer. Accessed August 5, 2019. https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/30123.

[13] Unit, Biosafety. “Latest NBSAPs.” Accessed August 16, 2019. https://www.cbd.int/nbsap/about/latest/default.shtml#ng .

[14] Unit, Biosafety. “Nigeria - Country Profile.” Accessed August 16, 2019. https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/default.shtml?country=ng#facts .