Rufiji District Coastal Forests (7011)
Tanzania, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2004

National site name: Rufiji District Coastal Forests

Central coordinates: Latitude: -8.0000, Longitude: 39.0000

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 10 to 740

Area of KBA (km²): 132.65897

Protected area coverage (%): 99.99

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Rufiji District covers a wedge of low-lying land extending from the Rufiji delta 175 km inland, along both banks of the Rufiji river. The western part of the district is included within the Selous Game Reserve (TZ018). Twenty-three Forest Reserves are listed for Rufiji District. Only two have been investigated for their birds, Kiwengoma (2,025 ha) in the Matumbi Hills and Mangrove-Rufiji (included in site TZ032). The Kichi Hills which rise to 616 m, some 30 km south-south-west of Utete, are cloaked in what appears to be woodland with forest in the wetter valleys. The following Forest Reserves, both north and south of the Rufiji river, are not currently included as part of this IBA, but require further investigation: Katundu, Kikale, Kipo, Mchungu, Mohoro, Mpanga, Mtanza, Mtita, Namakutwa, Ngulakula, Nyumburuni, Nyamuete, Ruhoi river, Rupiage, Tamburu and Utete.

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) KBA identified in the process of compiling the 2003 CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests Hotspot (which was later [in 2005] split into two Hotspots, the East Afromontane and the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa). Species taxonomy and threat category was based on IUCN Red List 2002.

Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 3 for key species. Circaetus fasciolatus is probably a low-density resident. Zoothera guttata has not been recorded from this IBA, but can be expected to occur on passage. The Rufiji river is an important physical barrier for several bird populations. Examples of this include Pitta angolensis, which breeds up to the Rufiji, but not north of it, Erythrocercus holochlorus of the northern coast which is replaced by Erythrocercus livingstonei from the river southwards, and the northern coastal population of Ploceus bicolor is of the race kersteni while south of the Rufiji it is the distinctive race stictifrons. Non-bird biodiversity: The forests of the Matumbi Hills are known to support a few endemic plant species and a probable endemic shrew. The Kichi Hills are also botanically rich, although their faunas are not known.

Delineation rationale: 2009-10-19 (BL Secretariat): originally defined in 2001 on the basis of one Forest Reserve (Kyengoma), the 2001 site description noted the existence of 21 other (ornithologically unexplored) Forest Reserves in the area, of which at least 16 might deserve to be included in this IBA; the latest IBA polygon now includes 3 of these 'unexplored' reserves as part of the IBA (Mtanza Msona FR, Namakutwa Nyamulete FR, Nyumburuni FR; presumably based on recent surveys), so on this basis I have increased the site area from 2,025 ha to 15,519 ha.

Habitats

Land use: forestry | water management

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Kiwengoma forest and adjacent areas is one of the largest blocks of contiguous forest in coastal Tanzania yet much of it is not afforded any official protection. During the late 1980s and early 1990s much of the timber of commercial value was removed illegally. However, the remaining habitat is still believed to be in reasonable condition and recent initiatives by WWF and the Forest Department to have the forest gazetted are making encouraging progress. A detailed survey of the Kichi Hills and of all the other unknown forest blocks is needed.

Additional information