Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve Ivory Coast

Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is located on the borders of Guinea, Liberia and Ivory Coast, Mount Nimba rises above the surrounding savannah. Its slopes are covered by dense forest at the foot of grassy mountain pastures. They harbour an especially rich flora and fauna, with endemic species such as the viviparous toad and chimpanzees that use stones as tools. A veritable water tower with about fifty springs between the Ivory Coast and Guinea, the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is dominated by a chain of mountains that culminate at 1,752 m altitude at Mount Nimba. The slopes, covered with dense forest at the lower levels, with grassy mountain pastures, overflow with particularly rich endemic flora and fauna. Extending over a total of area of 17,540 ha, with 12,540 ha in Guinea and 5,000 ha in Côte d'Ivoire, the property is integrated into the public domain of the two States.

Continent: Africa

Country: Ivory Coast

Category: Danger List

Criterion: (IX)(X)

Date of Inscription: 1981

Original and diverse species

This Reserve contains original and diverse species of the most remarkable animal and plant populations, not only in West Africa, but also in the entire African continent; notably threatened species such as the Micropotamogale of Mount Nimba , the viviparous toad of Mount Nimba and chimpanzees that use stones as tools.

Mountainous village

Browse Gallery Plus UNESCO Storyline

Rare mountain chains of West Africa

The site is the rare mountainous chains of West Africa; Mount Nimba rises abruptly to an altitude of 1,752 m above a rolling panorama and giving way to forested plains at the lower altitudes. It is an isolated refuge covered with montane forests, making the landscape of the Gulf of Guinea an exceptional site from the ecological perspective. Its geomorphological characteristics and its sub-equatorial montane climate of strong seasonal and altitudinal contrasts produce a rich variety of microclimates. This latter factor has contributed to the individualization of an insolite plant and fauna population, as well as a dynamic and exceptionally varied ecosystem.

Slideshow for this Heritage Site

Browse All UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ivory Coast. The original UNESCO inscription Here!!!