The ecoregion extends from the southeastern corner of Cameroon southward in a broad coastal swathe through the entire country of Equatorial Guinea (except for mangrove areas), most of eastern Gabon, and then a thin southward extension through the Republic of Congo, Angola (Cabinda strip), and a small part of the DRC.
Nearby ecoregions: i) the ecoregion extends to the north in Cameroon to the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forests (AT0107); ii) east of the ecoregion in Cameroon and Gabon is the Northwestern Congolian Lowland Forests (AT0126); iii) surrounding the entire southern part of the ecoregion in Gabon, Angola, DRC, and the ROC, is the Western Congolian Forest-Savanna Mosaic (AT0723); and iv) in a few patches along the coast we find the Central African Mangroves ecoregion (AT1401), notably around and including Libreville.
Description of the Ecoregion
A detailed description of the ecoregion can be found at WWF’s site (the map above is a screen shot from that Wildfinder site).
WWF notes: “Low undulating hills and plains characterize the topography of the northern portion of the ecoregion. Altitude increases gradually inland from the coast up to 800 m on the eastern margins. Coastal mountain ranges are also found, particularly in the southern sector of the ecoregion. These include Monte Alén, Monts de Cristal, and Monts Doudou which have altitudes in excess of 1000 m.
Coastal evergreen moist forests characterize the vegetation, with mixed semi-evergreen moist forests in the drier southern extension (White 1993). The lowland forests are multi-layered, with tall trees and canopies up to 60 m high. Near the coast the vegetation is somewhat different, especially in Gabon, where there are long strips of coastal savanna mosaic known as Guineo-Congolian edaphic grassland (White 1983). These coastal savannas intergrade with low coastal forest and scrub, which gradually give way to continuous moist forest cover further inland. On the mountain ranges embedded within the ecoregion the vegetation is also somewhat different, and has floral elements more typical of montane forest habitats elsewhere in Africa.”
Birds of the Ecoregion
WWF indicates that: “This ecoregion supports exceptionally high species richness and has many endemic species. The endemics are concentrated in the mountains in the southern part of the ecoregion, although there are other strict endemic and near-endemic species in the lowland forest habitats. Some of these are found only in the western and eastern margins of the Congo Basin, and are apparently absent from the central Congo Basin forests (e.g. White 1993).
The avian species richness is high, particularly for forest restricted species. The ecoregion forms part of an Endemic Bird Area, the Cameroon and Gabon lowlands (Stattersfield et al. 1998). Although no strict endemics are known, eight near-endemic and restricted-range species occur: Verraux’s batis (Batis minima), black-necked wattle-eye (Platysteira chalybea), forest swallow (Hirundo fulginosa), Rachel’s malimbe (Malimbus racheliae), Ursula’s sunbird (Nectarina ursulae), African river martin (Pseudochelidon eurystomina), Bates’ weaver (Ploceus batesi, EN) and the Dja River warbler (Bradypterus grandis, VU) (BirdLife International 2000). Most of these species are shared only with the Northwestern Congolian Lowland Forests [12], and a few only with the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forests [7] ecoregions.”
Resources for the Ecoregion Birder
I am not aware of any bird-related publications that focus specifically on this ecoregion. The best resources available would be those that cover more generally the countries that form the ecoregion.