The forest, which borders Guinea and Ivory Coast, has eastern and western sections that cover 96 km2 (37 sq mi) and 91 km2 (35 sq mi) respectively.

It is also known as the Mount Nimba Forest Reserves.

It is thought that the reserves supported populations of western chimpanzees before the first and second Liberian civil wars (1987-2003), and local people report that populations increased in those areas during the wars.

However, these regions were subsequently heavily impacted by factional fighting, resource extraction and civil displacements.

[1] The forest has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of many bird species.