Moliwe River

Moliwe River

The town of "Moliwe" and the river of the same name are located in the south-western part of Cameroon (4° 03' 59" N; 9° 14' 48" E). The river crosses the road from Victoria to Kumba between the towns of Moliwe and Mile 4 and is described as 80cm deep and up to four meters wide (LINKE & STAECK, 2002).

In the same source the following water parameters are given for this river: soft water (about 130?S/cm, 4°TH, 3°CH) and a slightly alkaline pH of 7.6 with a temperature of 26°C. While LINKE & STAECK (2002) described the surrounding landscape as "plantations and secondary forests", whereas LUCANUS pictured the river in 2008 as a shady jungle creek with larger, shady trees. The latter description must be from more upstream river sections, as own observations (FISCHER & SEIDEL, 2009) near the above-mentioned road only indicated plantations and a bank with short grass. A forest or even larger trees were missing completely. Measurements of the clear and colourless water (in 2008) showed a pH of 8.0, a conductivity of 222?S/cm, and a temperature of 26.5°C. The flow in the shallow water (about 50cm deep) of this river section was strong and did not allow any sedimentation on rocks and plants.

Due to varying currents, two distinct fish communities could be identified: in the middle of the river Benitochromis nigrodorsalis, Procatopus similis and three Barbus-species (B. callipterus, camptacanthus and thysii), whereas in the area of riparian vegetation Pelvicachromis kribensis "Moliwe", Epiplatys infrafasciatus rathkei and Chromaphyosemion splendopleure were found. A large arm shrimp (Macrobrachium sp.) was occuring in both areas.

The differing descriptions of the landscape are indicative of a massive change. Nowadays the original primary forest can be found only in upstream areas. Even the secondary forests have given way to palm oil plantations, which are taking up more and more space. The area around Mount Cameroon is partially covered on a large scale with monocultures of oil palms. Meanwhile, Uwe WERNER (pers. comm., 2017) reports on turbid water and extensive algae growth in the Moliwe River - both typical signs of nutrient-loaded (eutrophicated) waters. The cause for it is the lack of adjacent, dense vegetation with original plants whose roots prevent soil erosion and thus the wash-in of nutrients. The adjacent monocultures require intensive care with the probable use of pesticides, leading to a disturbance of the biological balance or even the killing of microorganisms that form the basis for the food chain in the river. At the same time the concentration of cyanobacteria increases in the affected waters. This again leads to a disturbed oxygen balance and has considerable negative consequences for zooplankton and fish. As a result, there is a decline in biodiversity.

Project manager: N.N.   Email: 

Project member
Klimahaus Bremerhaven (D)    Krisztián Barna (HU)    Lutz Fischer (D)    Tamás Gergácz (HU)  
Jens Helemann (D)    Kossuth Lajos Gimnázium Goodeid Projekt (HU)    Zsolt Németh (HU) 
Zoo Aquarium Berlin (D)    Zoo Leipzig (D)    Tropicarium-Oceanárium Budapest (HU)  
Zoltán Tunner (HU)    László Sárközi (HU) 

Project-Email: moliwe@oevvoe.org

Project partner