The Nigerian lowland forests stretch across a narrow, low-lying coastal plain of southwestern Nigeria and southeastern Benin, bounded by the Niger River and its delta to the east, the Gulf of Guinea and coastal mangroves to the south, and the drier Dahomey Gap and Guinean forest-savanna mosaic inland. Because rainfall declines with distance from the sea, the vegetation falls into parallel bands: evergreen rainforest near the coast, mixed deciduous forest farther north, and burned parkland inland. The wetter forests are rich in legumes and mahogany-family trees, with characteristic genera such as Brachystegia, Entandrophragma, Khaya, and Milicia (Iroko), while the drier mixed forests carry Cola, Ficus, and Antiaris. The climate is tropical with relatively even year-round temperatures and a pronounced dry season of roughly three months. This is a recognized African biodiversity hotspot, home to the endemic, endangered white-throated guenon and the flagship Ibadan malimbe, though dense human settlement around cities like Lagos and Ibadan keeps the remaining forest under heavy pressure.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 6.8°N, 4.9°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.0°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Afrotropic
Approximate area
25,993 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
About the tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome
Warm, wet, highly productive forests — including tropical rainforests — with closed canopies, near year-round growing seasons, and the richest terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. Low seasonality and high rainfall sustain dense, layered vegetation from canopy to forest floor.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.
Collections for this ecoregion
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: