Parque Natural Obô de São Tomé


The Obô Natural Park of São Tomé is a natural park of São Tomé and Príncipe, covering of the island of São Tomé. It was established in 2006. It has not yet been assigned to an IUCN protected area category. It covers parts of the districts of Caué, Lemba, Lobata and Mé-Zóchi.

Geography

The Natural Park covers three geographically separated zones:
The park is known internationally amongst conservationists for its biologically rich dense virgin rainforests. It is also characterized by a wide range of biotopes, from lowland and mountain forests, to mangroves and savanna area, which contribute to its unique ecosystem. The park includes virgin Atlantic high altitude rainforest and secondary rainforest which contains abandoned plantations.
In 1988, scientists classified the forests of São Tomé and Príncipe as the second most important in terms of biological interest out of 75 forests of Africa; most of the species found in the islands are found in the national park. The WWF has listed the forests of the national park as among the Global 200, the 200 most important biological areas on the planet. The forest of Obo is listed as an Important Bird Area of Africa.

Flora and fauna

There are about 700 plant species on the island of São Tomé, of which 95 endemic. Flora includes the evergreen coniferous Afrocarpus mannii. Orchids, ferns and mosses are common in the area.
There are 16 endemic bird species on the island, including São Tomé olive pigeon, São Tomé ibis, São Tomé fiscal, São Tomé shorttail, São Tomé grosbeak, Giant sunbird, São Tomé oriole and São Tomé thrush. The amphibians Ptychadena newtoni, Hyperolius thomensis, Hyperolius molleri, Phrynobatrachus leveleve, and Schistometopum thomense are found in the park. The shrew Crocidura thomensis is the only endemic terrestrial mammal. There are three endemic species of bats: São Tomé collared fruit bat, São Tomé free-tailed bat, and São Tomé leaf-nosed bat. Invertebrates include the moths Theretra viridis, Hyalobathra barnsalis and Pseudoclanis tomensis and the ant Tetramorium renae.