Thruston Bay Granite Hills (47200)
Uganda, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1e, B1
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Thruston Bay Granite Hills
Central coordinates: Latitude: 0.3900, Longitude: 33.3900
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1030 to 1100
Area of KBA (km2): 115.62705
Protected area coverage (%): 82.05
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: The Thruston bay peninsula juts out into Lake Victoria on the eastern side of Jinja town. It consists of a mosaic of forest plantation and shrubby habitat that occurs within the Bukaleba Forest Reserve, managed by the National Forest Authority. Some of the cycads also occur within cultivated land to the north east of the forest reserve and therefore the KBA extends beyond the boundaries of the reserve.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: The global KBA contains the only known population of the cycad Encephalartos equatorialis which occurs in isolated clumps on rocky outcrops across the area of this KBA.
Manageability of the site: Most of the site is managed a as forest reserve by the National Forest Authority (NFA). There would be options to work with local communities to also manage the small area outside the reserve together with the NFA.
Delineation rationale: The boundary follows the boundary of the Bukaleba Forest Reserve except in the north east and east where there is shrubland that also contains some cycads.
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Ongoing | |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |