Mutulanganga (24238)
Zambia, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2005
National site name: Mutulanganga
Central coordinates: Latitude: -16.2500, Longitude: 28.7333
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 400 to 700
Area of KBA (km2): 489.6163
Protected area coverage (%): 18.68
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Probably the largest remaining block of undisturbed lowland decidous thicket in zambia. The site straddles the Chirundu-Siavonga road and is defined , in part by the Mutulanganga Local Forest 9No 183). Further work is requiredd to define the southern and eastern boundaries. The area is drained by the highly seasonal Mutulanganag and Mbendele rivers which flow eastwards into the Zambezi after heavy rain. There are strecthes of mopane and other types of dry woodland with baobabs , but most of the area is cloaked in dense decidous thicket. here the core dominant tree is probably Xylia torreana (Mimosoidae), a species typical of only the least disturbed thickets. the human population is patchy and only dense in some places such as Lusitu, a somewhat dysfunctional settlement which houses many of the families moved from the area flooded by Lake kariba in the late 1950s.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: The area is perhaps best known as a regular breeding ground for the migratory African Pitta. Like most rains visitors, this elusive species is pesent between about late November and early april, although its distribution and numbers presnt appear to to change from year to year. Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo would appear to be seasonal as well and this is the only Zambian site from which the species is reported regularly.There are sight records of Dark-backed Weaver, here some distance from other parts of its Zambian range. these birds have yet to be indintified racially but are possibly the eastern sub-species which occur further dorn the zambezi valley in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. palearctic migrants are well represented and three that occur in significant numbers are Thrush-Nightngale, River Warbler and marsh Warbler. Both mottled and bat-like Spinetails occur, the former usually breeding in hollow baobabs. Other species of interest tha are typical include Western Banded Snake eagle, Creasted Guinefowls, Purple-crested Turaco, African Broadbill, Sombre Bulbul, White-throated Nicator and Livingstone's Flycatcher. Non-bird biodiversity: There are few large mammals in the area, but African Elephants Loxodonta africana (EN) wander through the area from time to time. The egg-eating snake Dasypetalis medici occurs here at the very western end of its range.
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 100 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases | Named species | Only in the future |
Additional information
References: Important Bird Areas in Zambia.