Conservation
Nigerian montane forests (forests above +/- 1500 m) are globally important because they represent one of the rarest vegetation types in Africa. They are satellite populations of many species of plants and animals restricted to African mountains. They harbour many tree species listed by the IUCN as endangered, are rich in wildlife, especially primates, and are an Important Bird Area.
The main reason montane forests survive today in Nigeria is because of their remoteness and inaccessibility, in some cases enhanced by the fact they fall within the protection of Gashaka Gumti National Park. However, Nigeria's burgeoning population is putting immense pressure on these forests and their associated wildlife; unless immediate action is taken animal populations will be 
hunted to extinction and the forests replaced by subsistence farming.
The aim of the Nigerian Montane Forest Project (NMFP), instigated in 2004, is to facilitate research into the understanding the montane forest ecosystem so as to implement the most effective management for biodiversity conservation.
In practical terms we have developed a tree nursery to grow as many local montane forest tree species as possible for future forest restoration. Augustine Ntim has collected seed from as many forest trees as possible and is investigating the most efficient methods for their propagation. Last wet season we planted over 200 seedlings into the grassland close to the field station. The nursery is sponsored by The North of England Zoological Society.
An area of grassland the forest has been fenced off to protect it from cattle grazing and burning. Tree seed naturally entering the grassland through frugivore or wind dispersal is being monitored, and its germination in grassland vs cleared plots recorded.
A. P. Leventis continues to sponsor 5 patrollers from the local villages Yelwa, Ndombo Ngishi and Dujere, who report back to the NMFP on any hunting or grazing activity they see in the forest. We then pass this information onto the Nigerian Conservation Foundation and the Taraba State Forest Service.
The NMFP has signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Nigerian National Parks, the Taraba State Forestry Department and The Federal University of Technology, Yola. The partners offer logistic support, collaboration with research projects and student exchange.