The Bambouto massif or Bamboutos Mountains is group of volcanoes based on a swell in the Cameroon Volcanic Line, located in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon, merging in the north with the Oku Volcanic Field.[1]
The large volcanic complex extends in a NE-SW direction for over 50 km, with the highest peaks rising to 2,679 m around the rim of a caldera with diameter 10 km. Lava dating gives ages from 23 to 6 million years ago, with a lower basaltic series and an upper series of trachytes, trachyphonolites and phonolites.[2]
The upper part of the massif above 2,000 m has a cool and cloudy climate with 2,510 mm of rainfall annually. Soils are acidic, low in phosphates and relatively infertile.[3] Due to population pressure, farming is carried out on the steep slopes, leading to erosion and further loss of fertility.[4] Cattle are also grazed on the upper slopes where foodcrop cultivation is uneconomical.[5]