This map was produced with the contribution of 'local cartographers' found in villages in the Boa Plain area since local people have intimate knowledge of their surroundings. The final map was produced by the GIS Unit in cooperation with the Central African Regional Programme for the Environment (CARPE), Innovative Resource Management (IRM), the Office Nationale de Developpement des Forets (ONADEF), and the Institute Nationale de Cartographie. These maps are then used for community based land use planning for the conservation of critical resources such as game, medicinal plants, and fish.

This map is available for download in Windows Zip format. Click here to download.

Mount Cameroon Vegetation Mapping

The Mount Cameroon land cover-mapping project form a key data layer for biodiversity assessment, forest management, carbon resource monitoring, and ecological modelling. Landsat 7 data from December 2000 is being used to classify the land cover into 15 vegetation classes. The methodology relies heavily both on fieldwork and on incorporating the vast TREMA database of field plots.

Since the Mount Cameroon area is one of the wettest places on earth, persistent cloud cover on the high slopes is a problem. The unit has developed methods of incorporating older imagery and ancillary data sources to classify these areas.

The following example shows the level of spatial and thematic detail that has been derived from the Landsat imagery. XX classes depict the landscape heterogeneity found within the Mount Cameroon area. Also an area is focused on to show land cover change from forest to agriculture.

Mount Cameroon Biodiversity Database

The TREMA database holds a wealth of data concerning the distribution and composition of forest stands and field plots. This database is being incorporated into a GIS framework in order to visualize and analyse the spatial distribution of biodiversity in the Mount Cameroon area. TREMA holds over 4,000 different species and 14,000 individual tree records. This database will be linked to the GIS for management and scientific purposes.

Limbe Flood Assessment and Planning

The recent floods in Limbe were very serious, causing some loss of life and landslides. The unit provided valuable spatial information to assist in planning against future flood incidents.

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