Bugoma Forest Reserve (24502)
Uganda, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1c, B1
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Bugoma Forest Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 1.2600, Longitude: 30.9700
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 990 to 1300
Area of KBA (km2): 399.31251
Protected area coverage (%): 95.94
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Bugoma Central Forest Reserve is situated on top of escarpment east of and overlooking Lake Albert on the edge of the Western Rift valley. It lies to the west of and midway along the main Kyenjojo – Hoima highway, approximately 10 km South West of Hoima and 10 Km east of Lake Albert. The forest lies in Buhaguzi and Bugahya counties in the administrative district of Hoima. Most of the forested portion lies in the sub counties of Kabwoya and Kyangwali. To the South is Nkusi River forming the boundary of the reserve and the adjacent Kibale district. To the North East are Bajawe and Wambabya central forest reserves whose patches are continuous with Kinyara sugar plantation that reaches Budongo forest Reserve. To the West, is Kanyangwali Refugee Camp that meets the lower land of the rift valley. It occupies about 40,100 ha and has an altitudinal range of 990-1300m above sea level. The forest type is classified as medium altitude moist semi-deciduous forest with a high biodiversity (Forest Department, 1996). It occupies a gently sloping area, which drains towards Lake Albert in the west. There is only one permanent river, the Nkusi. The forest is isolated from other protected areas and surrounded by smallholdings and settlement. The soils are mostly deep tropical red earths often lateritic and the climate is tropical with two rainfall peaks from April to May and September to November. Annual mean temperature ranges are 16 to 180C (minimum) and 28 to 290C. The annual rainfall is between 1100 and 1350 mm. The forest lies in irregular blocks intersected by large patches of Hyparrhenia, Pennisetum and Cymbopogon grasslands occupying approximately 18% of the forest area. About half of the forested portion is dominated by iron wood (Crynometra alexandri), a further 38% is mixed Forest. From the 65 forested Protected Areas surveyed for biodiversity in Uganda, Bugoma ranked eleventh in overall biodiversity value and fifteenth in terms of rarity value.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: Bugoma forest contains three KBA trigger species that exceed the threshold numbers to meet global KBA status: Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, Nahan's partridge, Ptilopachus nahani, and the moon shrew, Crocidura selina. This is one of only three forests in Uganda which hold Nahan's partridge and one of three forests where the moon shrew occurs.
Additional biodiversity: It is known to contain at least 875 plant species, 221 birds, 21 mammal, 292 butterfly and 118 moth species
Manageability of the site: The site has been managed by the National Forest Authority as a Central Forest Reserve since the 1930s.
Supersedes another site: Boundary submitted is the officially recognised boundary for the site by the Government of Uganda and differs slightly from the existing shapefile
Other site values: No
Delineation rationale: The boundary of the site follows the legally gazetted boundary of the Central Forest Reserve as recognised by the government of Uganda
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 18 | |
| Forest | 82 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Ongoing | |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Nomadic grazing | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Unspecified species | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Oil & gas drilling | Only in the future |