Page:Niger Delta Ecosystems- the ERA Handbook, 1998.djvu/62

The Lowland Equatorial Monsoon Ecozone 5 THE NATURAL LOWLAND EQUATORIAL MONSOON ECOZONE


 * Introduction
 * Tropical Rainforest: Definition and Classification
 * Correcting Some Misconceptions About the Rainforest
 * Distribution of the Natural Tropical Rainforest Biome
 * Micro-Climate of the LEM Rainforest
 * Physical Characteristics of the LEM Rainforest
 * Diversity of Tree Forms in the LEM Rainforest
 * Biodiversity of the LEM Rainforest
 * Plant Species of the LEM Rainforest
 * Animal Species of the LEM Rainforest

5.1 INTRODUCTION

Rainforest is the natural climax vegetation of the whole Niger Delta, because it lies within a lowland equatorial climate and is subject to monsoonal rains.

However, in many areas this forest has largely disappeared and is unlikely to return within the life-span of humankind. To describe particular areas as lying within a West African Lowland Tropical Rainforest ecozone would therefore be misleading. Instead we use the terms given at the end of the preceding chapter: West African Lowland Equatorial Monsoon ('LEM'), West African Freshwater Alluvial Equatorial Monsoon ('FAM'), West African Brackish-water Alluvial Equatorial Monsoon ('BAM'), and the Sand-barrier Islands.

Although it would be misleading to describe the present-day Human ecozones of the Delta as being Rainforest, chapters 5 to 8 will nonetheless describe the natural ecozones as they would exist without the activities of modern society. This will then help in understanding the current situation as discussed in later chapters.

The LEM natural rainforest ecosystem serves as a good introduction to the natural rainforest of the Niger Delta in general, because the LEM ecozone covers the greater part of the West African Tropical Rainforest biome. The LEM ecozone is different from the BAM and FAM ecozones because the soils are comparatively well drained and relatively uniform; yet the principles of LEM rainforests hold true for other ecozones of the Delta. The particular features of their natural rainforests will be more easily explained in succeeding chapters once we have considered the more general case of the LEM.

5.2 TROPICAL RAINFOREST: DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION

Tropical rainforest is the climatic vegetation in the tropics wherever rainfall and low temperatures are not limiting factors. But any definition of tropical rainforest begs the question:  'what is a forest?' As we will show, it is far more than a collection of trees; all forests contain non-tree plant communities such as "tree" ferns and bamboo, and the forest ecosystem is comprised of plants, animals, microbes and soils and their interrelationships. 60