Pangani District Coastal Forests (7019)
Tanzania, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Pangani District Coastal Forests
Central coordinates: Latitude: -5.5000, Longitude: 38.7500
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 120
Area of KBA (km2): 48.4281
Protected area coverage (%): 99.99
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Pangani District is centred on the Pangani river which enters the Indian Ocean at the town of Pangani. The land slopes gently away from the coast to meet rolling hills. There are four Forest Reserves listed for Pangani District: Msumbugwe (4,407 ha), Garafuno (195 ha, shared with TZ054), Jasini (117 ha) and Mangrove-Pangani (600 ha mangrove), of which the latter two are not thought to be of importance for birds and are excluded from the IBA. There may also be some coastal forest in the Mkwaja Ranch area worthy of investigation.
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 Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Some 56 forest-dwelling birds are listed from Msumbugwe, including coastal forest species such as Pogoniulus simplex, Dicrurus ludwigii, Phyllastrephus fischeri, Neocossyphus rufus, Macrosphenus kretschmeri and Erythrocercus holochlorus. Local rarities include Muscicapa caerulescens, Bias musicus and Anthreptes neglectus. Records of Pogonocichla stellata during August suggest an overwintering population of this altitudinal migrant. More intensive fieldwork is likely to discover the endangered Zoothera guttata, especially during migration in May and November, and may also locate Anthus sokokensis and migrant Pitta angolensis. Non-bird biodiversity: There are endemic mammals, reptiles, amphibians and plants. The tree Stuhlmannia moavi is considered endemic to the area.
Habitats
Land use: forestry | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 78 | |
| Shrubland | 21 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Msumbugwe is much degraded due to easy access and large shipments of wood are removed illegally. The edges of the reserve are far too often damaged by fires. Additional survey work is needed. The Mkwaja Ranch area may be included within the future boundaries of a Saadani–Zarininge National Park (see TZ046).
Additional information
References: Burgess and Clarke (2000), Clarke and Stubblefield (1995), Faldborg et al. (1991), Fottland (1996), Hawthorn (1984), Polhill (1968).