Korup National Park is located in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and covers an area of 1,260 km², mostly untouched primary forest. It is known as one of Africa's oldest and most diverse tropical forests, with a wide variety of plants and animals. It is the easiest rainforest national park to visit in Cameroon, offering simple lodging, trails, and facilities for visitors. The park is a popular place for birdwatching and is famous for its primates, including species like the drill, Preuss's red colobus, red-eared guenon, and Nigeria chimpanzee. Scientists from different fields have studied the park's ecosystems for over 30 years, creating lots of information about rainforest environments.
Location
Korup National Park is located in the Southwest Province of Cameroon. It is found between 4°54' and 5°28' N latitude and 8°42' to 9°16' E longitude. The park is 50 kilometers north of the Bight of Biafra and 20 kilometers away from the edge of the mangrove swamps near the Rio Del Rey estuary. Its western boundary overlaps with the Cross River National Park's Oban Division in Nigeria for about 15 kilometers. The area around the park includes the Ejagham, Nta Ali, and Rumpi Hills forest reserves.
History
In October 1937, the Korup forest was created as a “native administration forest reserve” by Order No. 25. In October 1986, the Korup forest became a national park through Presidential Decree No. 86/1283. At the same time, the boundaries of the forest reserve were expanded eastward to include the villages of Ekundu Kundu, Ikenge, and Bareka Batanga, covering the current area of 1,260 km².
The idea to create Korup National Park (KNP) was first proposed in the early 1970s by Steve Gartlan and Thomas Struhsaker, who were studying forest primates in southwest Cameroon. In 1971, Struhsaker and Gartlan suggested to the government of Cameroon that Korup be declared a national park along with the Douala-Edéa reserve. The government did not respond immediately. In 1977, Gartlan met Phil Agland, who wanted to make a film about Cameroon’s forests for conservation. Agland spent the next five years creating a film about the Korup forest.
Phil Agland’s award-winning film, Korup: An African Rainforest, was shown on British television in November 1982 and later broadcast worldwide. This film helped raise international awareness about Korup’s ecosystem and led to the first British government contribution of £440,000 through the ODA for rainforest conservation in 1986. In 1987, the Korup Project, an internationally funded effort to combine conservation and development, supported the newly established park. The Korup Project area included a support zone and the forest reserves of Ejagham, Nta Ali, and Rumpi Hills. In 2003, the Korup Project ended, leaving the park with little financial or logistical support. This made it harder for park managers to protect wildlife from illegal hunting.
By 2006, Korup National Park became one of three focus areas for the “Program of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources – South-West Province” (PSMNR-SWP), a partnership between the governments of Cameroon and Germany. With renewed support, anti-poaching patrols have become more regular again. As a partner in PSMNR-SWP, WWF-Cameroon provides advice on conservation and environmental education in the Korup region, while the German Development Service (DED) manages rural development activities.
Management
Korup National Park is mainly controlled by the Ndian Division in the Southwest Province of Cameroon. The park is managed by the Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. The management team includes one Conservator and about 27 game guards. The main office is located in the town of Mundemba, which is 8 kilometers east of the park's only official entrance at Mana Bridge. A game guard post is located at the bridge. A tourist information center is located in the center of Mundemba town.
A five-year management plan for Korup National Park was created in 2002. The plan states that the main goal of the park is to protect the biodiversity and the natural balance of the Korup forest. This will be done through law enforcement, encouraging ways to use land that do not harm the environment, helping local communities grow economically, and supporting tourism that has little effect on the environment. This tourism will provide economic and social benefits to people living nearby.
Climate
Korup has a climate similar to equatorial regions but with two main seasons instead of four: a clearly defined dry season from December to February, when average monthly rainfall is less than 100 mm, and a long, heavy rainy season from May to October. Between 1973 and 1994, annual rainfall in the southeastern part of the park averaged about 5,272 mm, with amounts ranging from 4,027 mm to 6,368 mm. The heaviest rainfall usually occurs in August, with some years reaching over 10,000 mm. Temperatures change little throughout the year, with average monthly high temperatures at 31.8 °C during the dry season and 30.2 °C during the wet season. The northern areas of the park receive much less rainfall, about 2,500 to 3,000 mm annually.
Topography
Korup soils are usually made of large particles, such as sand, and drain water easily. They have few nutrients and are acidic with little organic matter. These conditions make them unsuitable for farming, which is why there is little farming activity in the park. The park remains mostly primary forest. The southern part of the park is at a low elevation, about 50 meters, and the land rises gradually to the north. The highest point is Mt. Yuhan, which reaches 1,079 meters near the old location of Ikondokondo village. To the north, the land includes gentle rolling hills. Most of the park (82%) is between 120 and 850 meters in elevation.
A large number of streams flow through the Korup region, emptying into three main river systems: a) the Korup and Akpassang Rivers, b) the Ndian River, and c) the Bake-Munaya River. Many smaller streams within the park dry up during the driest part of the year.
Human presence
There are five villages inside KNP. In 1999, these villages had a total population of about 900 people (Erat: 447, Esukutan: 202, Ikenge: 179, Bareka-Batanga: 52, and Bera: 26). In 2000, the Korup village of Ikondokondo (Ekundukundu?) was moved outside the park as part of a plan that is not currently happening to move all villages. There are 23 more villages located within 3 km of the KNP boundary, which is called the Peripheral Zone (PZ). Together, the villages inside KNP and in the PZ have a total population of about 2,700 people, with a population density of about 2 people per square kilometer. The main ways people earn a living in these rural areas include growing food for themselves and selling crops like oil palms and cocoa, fishing, hunting, and, to some extent, trading.
Biodiversity
The forests of Korup seem very old and are home to many species found nowhere else, surviving the dry period of the Pleistocene era as part of the Cross River-Mayombe Refugium. Vegetation in the area was classified by Letouzey as mainly Biafran coastal forest, dominated by a type of tree called Caesalpinioideae, which is part of the Leguminosae plant family. There is no sign of major human impact, and the southern part of the park is likely a primary forest, meaning it has not been disturbed by humans. Floristically, Korup has a wide variety of plant life, with over 1,100 species of trees, shrubs, herbs, and vines identified so far. About 30% of these species are found only in Korup. Large trees, up to 50 meters tall, grow through a mostly continuous but uneven canopy layer made up mostly of trees from the Annonaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Olacaceae, Lecythidaceae, and Verbenaceae families, which are about 15 to 25 meters high. The understory layer is thick with vines and small trees, mainly from the Rubiaceae family, while the layer of small plants (such as those from the Acanthaceae, Araceae, Commelinaceae, Poaceae, Marantaceae, Rubiaceae, and Zingiberaceae families) is mostly sparse. Plant life in Korup changes with the seasons, with flowering typically happening between January and July (peaking in March–May), followed by a peak fruiting season. Flowering and fruiting levels vary greatly from year to year for most species. Mass fruiting events occur every few years.
- Gymnosiphon bekensis
Korup National Park is known as one of the most diverse lowland forests in Africa, especially for its variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and butterflies. The list of mammal species includes 161 species across 33 families, with the group of primates making up 14 species (8 active during the day and 6 active at night).
Tourist infrastructure
Korup National Park is one of the easiest rainforest protected areas to reach in Cameroon. Short trips or longer trips can be arranged from the town of Mundemba by visiting the tourist information office at the town center. A local guide is required to enter the park. Fees are set for day visits, overnight stays, camping, and for guides or porters. Three campsites are available for visitors. At each campsite, travelers can stay in a tent (bring your own) or in a lodge with basic wooden beds and simple window screens. Each campsite is near a stream that provides water for cooking (boil or filter before drinking) and for bathing. Simple pit toilets are available at the campsites.
Role of Civil Society (NGOs)
The Korup Rainforest Conservation Society (K.R.C.S) is a group that works to protect the rainforest and involve local people in its care. Most members are local people who care about conservation, and some are special members from other countries who help by sharing their knowledge. The group focuses on research that solves specific problems, helps local people take part in conservation efforts, and reduces conflicts while improving their lives. Since 2009, KRCS has helped visiting researchers by providing guidance, helping with permits, finding local helpers, and explaining how to plan village development and use land wisely. The group has also hired many local people for work in the park and taught others about protecting the environment. KRCS has worked with groups like Pro-wildlife and WWF-CPO to stop the change of nearby forests into palm plantations. In recent years, KRCS's work has grown because of the 2012 Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) Awards, which are a partnership between CI, FFI, WSC, and BirdLife International.
Other details
The movie Greystoke – The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, starring Christopher Lambert and Andie MacDowell, was filmed in the park in 1984, before the park was created.
In 1986, Charles, Prince of Wales, opened the park. A sign near the entrance, above Mana Bridge, marks the location where he visited during his short trip.
Mana Bridge, which is the entrance to Korup National Park, was built by a group of international volunteers during an Operation Raleigh project in 1989. More than 100 volunteers spent three months in Cameroon constructing the bridge. They also conducted wildlife surveys in the forest and went on canoe trips in the Rumpi Hills.
Prominent Figures
Ngomo Ferdinand Namata (1947–2016), known as "Pa Namata" by colleagues and local communities near Korup National Park, was a Cameroonian naturalist. He worked in different roles studying plants and animals in Korup National Park and other rainforest areas in Cameroon. He is well known for his work in Korup National Park and for discovering and grouping new plant species, such as Ancistrocladus korupensis, which may help treat HIV, and Namataea, a plant group named after him by Professors D.W. Thomas and D.J. Harris. These achievements happened despite him not having formal education and relying only on his deep knowledge of plants and animals from his local community. "Pa Namata" joined Ndian Division with Dr. Steve Gartlan to study the area, which was then called the Korup Forest Reserve. His work with Dr. Gartlan helped create the proposal that started the Korup Project, which later became Korup National Park. After the park was officially created in 1986 by a presidential order, he continued working there and greatly improved his understanding of plants and animals. His work with local and international researchers and visitors earned him recognition. In Korup National Park, he held several roles, including naturalist, tourist guide, research assistant, and park interpreter. He led tours for visitors, helped count wildlife and plants, trained students and researchers, and supported scientists with his knowledge of local plants and animals. Ngomo Ferdinand Namata received many honors for his work in nature conservation and science, including:
- The naming of Namata Ledges and Namata Ledges Trail inside Korup National Park
- The naming of a new plant group (Namataea) after him
- A certificate that honored his contributions to science
- A medal of honor from the Government of Cameroon for his work in advancing science in the country