Monte Alén National Park
Monte Alén National Park is located near the center of Equatorial Guinea. It was established in 1990. With an area of, it is the country's largest national park. The goliath frog, one of the prominent amphibians found in the park, is the biggest frog in the world; hunting it is prohibited.
Geography and environment
The park has an area of and lies within the elevation range of. It was declared a national park under a presidential decree in 2000 in addition to 13 other areas.The highest peaks of Monte Alén and Monte Mitra lie within the limits of the park. Uoro River lies to the west of the park. The eastern part of the park is bounded by the Niefang-Gabon road. There are a few patches of rock outcrops. Lake Atoc has forest cover throughout its entire catchment.
Trekking paths are well laid out in the park. Logging operation within the park is fully controlled.
Climate
The climate is hot humid equatorial, with an average temperature of about in the lowland area and in the highlands. The mean annual rainfall is between.Wildlife
The park has recorded 265 species of birds and has been designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of many bird species. Some of the prominent species include three montane species: grey cuckooshrike, pink-footed puffback and black-capped woodland warbler; Uganda woodland warbler, grey-necked rockfowl, Zenker's honeyguide, Tessmann's flycatcher and Gabon batis.The park has 105 mammal species which includes 16 species of primates. These include black colobus, collared mangabey, mandrills, gorillas and chimpanzees. Other mammal species include bush elephants, forest elephants and Grasse's shrews.
Sixty-five species of reptiles are reported, including crocodiles. Amphibians include Petropedetes palmipes and Leptodactylodon stevarti, which are in the IUCN Red List. Goliath frogs are found in the southern part of the park.