list of figures - Terry Sunderland

3.3.1.2 Climate
The Campo Reserve has a typical equatorial climate with four distinct seasons: a long
dry season from November to February, a mini rainy season from March to May, a
shorter dry period from June to August followed by a protracted period of rain from
mid-August to November. The average annual rainfall is 2,820mm and the mean
annual temperature is 26.8°C.
3.3.1.3 Topography, geology and soil type
The Reserve is situated on inferior pre-Cambrian formations with varying relief. In the
west of the area, the topography is relatively and consistently plain-like except for the
Massif des Mamelles, which rises to 323m altitude. The east of the Reserve however,
is quite mountainous with altitudes varying between 400-950m. Mount Nkolenengue,
at 969m, is the highest point in the Reserve (Thomas and Thomas, 1992).
The parent rock of the area is made up of micaschists, superior and inferior gneiss and
undifferentiated gneiss. There are essentially two types of soil, ferric soils and
hydromorphic soils. The ferric soils are somewhat yellow in colour and are derived
from the metamorphic rocks characteristic of the coastal plain. The hydromorphic
soils develop in a distinct layer near to the soil surface in area of swamp and seasonal
inundation.
3.3.1.4 Vegetation
The vegetation of the Campo region is defined by Letouzey (1985) as Atlantic Biafran
forest rich in Caesalpiniaceae 2 . This vegetation type is widespread within 100km of
the coast, from Nigeria to Equatorial Guinea. Campo is rich in Caesalpiniaceae; there
are large numbers of individuals, high dominance and high levels of diversity of this
family. Although Letouzey (1985) described a single vegetation type covering the
whole range, there is considerable variation in dominant species and species
composition between localities, there are several sub-types in the area. These are
characterised by indicator species such as Sacoglottis gabonensis (Humeriaceae) and
Calpocalyx heitzii (Mimosaceae) (Sunderland et al., 1997).
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