Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Current coverage of mangrove in Cameroon is about 200,000 ha. The tropical humid dense forests make up the majority of Cameroon’s forests and are estimated to cover 17 million ha [ ] 74 Assessing macrofungal diversity and mycorrhizal associations within diverse ecosystems Two case studies of fungi have been conducted in Cameroon, one from the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve and the other from Campo Rain Forest areas. The studies show that 271 distinct species of fungi belonging to 110 gen- era in 58 families have been recorded in while more that 125 species of ectomycorrhizal fungi were identified in the Campo Forest. The first studies in ecological diversity focused on the taxonomy of non-gilled hymeno- mycetes from the Mbalmayo forest reserve. The studies have contributed towards the assessment of the current macrofungal diversity within the ecosystems of the country’s southern forests, and evaluate the impact of deforestation and slash-and-burn activities on fungal communities, tracking the occurrence and changes to the fungal communities through the seasonal climatic variations. The identification of specimens using modern techniques has yielded 271 distinct species, belonging to 110 genera in 58 families. All recorded species were new to the Mbalmayo forest reserve, while 75 of the species described were new to Cameroon, with 11 new mycobiota listed. The study of the Campo area fo- cused on mycorrhizal associations in rain forests of south Cameroon under various disturbance regimes and stages in order to provide essential information on the roles of mycor- rhizas (arbuscular mycorrhiza and ectomycorrhiza) in tree establish- ment and forest recovery. More than 125 species of ectomyc- orrhizal fungi were identified, mainly from near pristine forests in ecto- mycorrhizal clumps, either near the stem base of uapaca species or those of the caesalpiniaceae, while one further fungal species was found in association with gnetum. Among the ectomycorrhizal fungi, the amani- taceae, russulaceae, boletaceae, and cantharellaceae were well represent- ed, whereas only a few species of cortinariaceae, sclerodermataceae, gomphaceae, clavulinaceae, and hy- menochaetaceae were observed with- in the Tropenbos Campo Programme (TCP) area. The same ectomycorrhizal fungi and ectomycorrhizal trees also occur in Korup National Park, Cameroon, even though the soils and climate are very different to the forests of the TCP area. C ameroon is endowed with a rich biological diversity. The diverse ecosystems are largely representative of Africa’s as a whole, resulting in the reference to Cameroon as Africa in miniature. This high degree of specie, genetic and ecosystem diversity is of significant socioeconomic, scientific, and medicinal importance to its people. It underpins the economy, significantly contributing to the wellbeing of the people. The volcanic soils of the south-west and littoral regions together with the maritime influence account for luxuriant vegetation which harbours highly diversified flora and fauna and supports considerable agricultural, forestry and fishing activities. The beauty of the wildlife and landscape of the north and extreme north regions are of high touristic value. Mount Cameroon is one of Africa’s largest volcanoes at 4,040m JB Dodane on flickr Cameroon