Cross River National Park

Cross River National Park

Cross River National Park is located between Latitude 5o 05’ and 6o 29’ N, and Longitudes 8o 15’ and 9o 30’ E, in the extreme south-eastern corner of Nigeria, in Cross River State. It covers a total area of about 4000sq km of mainly primary moist tropical rainforest ecosystem in the North and central parts, and montane mosaic vegetation on the Obudu Plateau. It is Nigeria’s last Great Rainforest Reserve, and the closest to the Mangrove Swamps on the coastal region.

Cross River National Park is an integral part of the Cross River State rainforest conservation area, located in Boki LGA and spans from Kanyan to the foot of the Obudu plateau with a total land area of 720sqkm of rugged mountain scenery and rolling hills. The park is divided into two sections.

The smaller area to the north-east, Okwangwo Division, is separated by about 50 km of disturbed forest from the larger Oban Division. Oban Division is contiguous with Korup National Park in Cameroon. The Cross river and its tributaries drain northern parts of Oban Division, while southern parts are drained by the Calabar, Kwa and Korup rivers.The terrain is rough and elevation rises from the river valleys to over 1,000 m in mountainous areas. Soils are ferralitic and sandy, and steadily become shallower with increasing elevation.

Cross River National Park is one of the richest areas of tropical rainforest in West Africa. Currently, the WWF, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation and the Federal Parks Service are carrying out an integrated conservation and development project in the northern part of the park.





The project has created a proper boundary for the park, and programs are being implemented against illegal hunting, logging and land clearance.The Park is home to many localised species of plants and animals which, include gorilla, drill, chimpanzee, a gwantibo or golden potto forest elephant, saleginella specie. Baboons, Leopards, Red Foxes, Drill Monkeys, Buffaloes and Elephants are also found there. It also harbours a rich collection of flora and fauna.

Cross River State is a coastal state in South Eastern Nigeria, named after the Cross River, which passes through the state. Located in the Niger Delta, Cross River State occupies 20,156 square kilometers. It shares boundaries with Benue State to the north, Enugu and Abia States to the west, to the east by Cameroon Republic and to the south by Akwa-Ibom and the Atlantic Ocean.