Guinean forest–savanna mosaic
The Guinean forest-savanna mosaic is an ecoregion of West Africa, a band of interlaced forest, savanna, and grassland running east to west and dividing the tropical moist forests near the coast from the West Sudanian savanna of the interior. Setting. The Guinean forest-savanna mosaic covers an area of , extending from western Senegal to eastern Nigeria, and including portions of Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. The Cameroon Highlands of eastern Nigeria and Cameroon separate the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic from the Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic, which lies  to the east. The Dahomey Gap is a region of Togo and Benin where the forest-savanna mosaic extends to the coast, and separates the Upper Guinean forests of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana from the Lower Guinean forests of Nigeria and Cameroon. Flora. This region is mainly grassland crossed with trees growing alongside streams and on hillsides, with the constantly occurring fires keeping back the growth of trees in open country. "Lophira lanceolata" is a tree that is more resistant to fire than many others. Fauna. The mixture of forest and grassland provide habitat for a  range of species from large mammals such as African leopard, forest elephants, hippopotamus and antelopes such as the red-flanked duiker to the common tortoise as well as more localised species including patas monkeys and Ghana worm lizards ("Amphisbaenia"). The wetlands in the region are rich in birdlife, including iris glossy starling and black crowned crane. Human settlement. The ecoregion covers large areas of many West African nations including: Protected areas. A 2017 assessment found that 107,116 km², or 16%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Upper Niger National Park in Guinea, Dulombi-Boe National Park  in Guinea-Bissau, Outamba-Kilimi National Park in Sierra Leone, Mont Sangbé National Park in Ivory Coast, Bui National Park and Digya National Park in Ghana, and Old Oyo National Park and Gashaka-Gumti National Park in Nigeria.