Satellite view of southwestern Nigeria and Benin Photograph by USGS   Western Africa: Southern Nigeria, extending into Benin Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   26,000 square miles (67,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of West Virginia and Delaware combined Critical/Endangered

· Once Dense Forests
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Once Dense Forests

One quarter of the entire population of continental Africa lives in Nigeria, so it should come as no surprise that cities, farms, and roads have replaced a lot of natural habitat here. But scattered among human settlements are pockets of a rich, lowland forest that once grew widely in this region. These forests are home to antelope, hippos, and much more.

Special Features

The Nigerian Lowland Forest ecoregion stretches from the eastern border of Benin and along the coast of Nigeria to the Niger River. This region lies on a flat coastal plain that experiences a dry season from December to February, with less than two inches (50 mm) of rain falling each month. The region is driest in the north, where a semi-evergreen tropical high forest replaces the lowland forest.

	Guenons are monkeys with interestingly patterned and colored faces. The white-throated guenon of the Nigerian Lowland Forest has black and yellowish fur on its face and looks like it has a thick white beard!

Wild Side

An endemic species of reptile, an endemic amphibian, and an endemic primate--the white-throated guenon--are among the many unusual species found in these lowland forests. Other animals found here include elephants, western hartebeest, warthogs, and red-bellied monkeys. Maxwell’s duikers, black duikers, yellow-backed duikers, and gray duikers are all found in this ecoregion. Because of their small size and shy, secretive nature, the duikers withstand hunting pressure better than other antelopes.

Cause for Concern

Agriculture, timber extraction, and urbanization by Nigeria's large human population have all reduced the extent of lowland forest in the region. In addition, overhunting of some species is resulting in serious population declines. For example, many primates and antelopes are being over-hunted for the bushmeat trade. If current rates of deforestation and bushmeat hunting continue, Nigeria will likely lose most of its antelope species in the next few decades. This bleak prediction could be reversed, however, with adequate protection and conservation.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.