Mount Kupe
Encyclopedia
Mount Kupe or Mont Koupé is a pluton
ic mountain in the Western High Plateau
of Cameroon
, part of the Cameroon line
of volcanoes. It is the highest of the Bakossi mountains, rising to 2064 metres (6,771.7 ft).
The mountain is revered by the local Bakossi people
as the home of their ancestral and forest spirits.
Missionaries in the 1890s observed that the mountain had a strong magical reputation, and it still has an important role in beliefs related to ekong, a form of witchcraft.
The mountain used to be forest-covered apart from a few small grassy areas near the summit.
All sides of the mountain have been steadily converted to agricultural use.
Forest has been cleared up to 1,500m on the eastern slopes and up to between 750m and 1,100m on the western and northern sides, above the villages of Mbule
and Nyasoso.
As of 2010, there was still primary mid-altitude and montane rainforest on the northern side.
The cloud forest supports rich biodiversity, and is home to chimpanzees and several species of threatened primates.
The Mount Kupe Bush-shrike
Telophorus kupeensis is regarded as endangered due to its small range and declining quality of its habitat.
The Mount Kupe Forest Project was at first managed by BirdLife International, later by WWF-UK and then by WWF-Cameroon. As of 2010 the project was dormant.
Pluton
A pluton in geology is a body of intrusive igneous rock that crystallized from magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Plutons include batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, lopoliths, and other igneous bodies...
ic mountain in the Western High Plateau
Western High Plateau
The Western High Plateau, Western Highlands, or Bamenda Grassfields is a region of Cameroon characterised by high relief, cool temperatures, heavy rainfall, and savanna vegetation. The region lies along the Cameroon line and consists of mountain ranges and volcanoes made of crystalline and igneous...
of Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, part of the Cameroon line
Cameroon line
The Cameroon line is a chain of volcanoes.It includes islands in the Gulf of Guinea and mountains that extend along the border region of eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, from Mount Cameroon on the Gulf of Guinea north and east towards Lake Chad....
of volcanoes. It is the highest of the Bakossi mountains, rising to 2064 metres (6,771.7 ft).
The mountain is revered by the local Bakossi people
Bakossi people
The Koose people live on the western and eastern slopes of Mount Mwanenguba and Mount Kupe in the Bakossi Mountains of Cameroon...
as the home of their ancestral and forest spirits.
Missionaries in the 1890s observed that the mountain had a strong magical reputation, and it still has an important role in beliefs related to ekong, a form of witchcraft.
The mountain used to be forest-covered apart from a few small grassy areas near the summit.
All sides of the mountain have been steadily converted to agricultural use.
Forest has been cleared up to 1,500m on the eastern slopes and up to between 750m and 1,100m on the western and northern sides, above the villages of Mbule
Mbule
Mbule or Mbulle is a small community in Cameroon, to the north of Tombel in the Southwest Region, on the slopes of Mount Kupe.On 31 December 1966 a Land Rover was attacked by unknown people while near Mbule...
and Nyasoso.
As of 2010, there was still primary mid-altitude and montane rainforest on the northern side.
The cloud forest supports rich biodiversity, and is home to chimpanzees and several species of threatened primates.
The Mount Kupe Bush-shrike
Mount Kupe Bush-shrike
The Mount Kupe Bush-shrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family. It is endemic to Cameroon, where it is found in the Bakossi Forest Reserve and in particular on Mount Kupe....
Telophorus kupeensis is regarded as endangered due to its small range and declining quality of its habitat.
The Mount Kupe Forest Project was at first managed by BirdLife International, later by WWF-UK and then by WWF-Cameroon. As of 2010 the project was dormant.