Ukaguru Mountains (7030)
Tanzania, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1e, B2

Year of last assessment: 2018

National site name: Ukaguru Mountains

Central coordinates: Latitude: -6.4430, Longitude: 36.9620

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 400 to 2264

Area of KBA (km²): 206.66465

Protected area coverage (%): 96.29

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The Ukaguru mountains are a raised plateau that lie in the rain-shadow of the taller Uluguru mountains (TZ068), 40 km to the south-east. The climax vegetation is moist forest, but generally with a lower canopy and less diversity than forest closer to the coast. Elfin forest exists in small patches near the summits and there are large areas of degraded grassland, especially to the west of the main forest block. Important tree species in Mamiwa-Kisara North Forest Reserve include Balthasaria schliebenii, Ocotea usambarensis, Podocarpus latifolius and Polyscias stuhlmannii. Five of seven Forest Reserves listed for these mountains are included in the IBA: Ikwamba (889 ha), Mamboto (149 ha), Mamiwa-Kisara North (7,897 ha), Mamiwa-Kisara South (6,266 ha) and Uponera (293 ha), The remaining two small reserves are now down to exotic pines and are excluded. Immediately to the north-west of these mountains, including the northern and western slopes, is dry Acacia–Commiphora woodland of the Somali–Masai biome. To the west are the Kiboriani mountains, with lower-altitude moist forest that has not been explored recently. To the south-west, separated by the Gombo Mkondoa river valley, are the Rubeho mountains (TZ064) while to the north-east lie the Nguru mountains (TZ059). Between these mountains are important stands of miombo woodland. The eastern slopes of the Ukaguru mountains slope rather rapidly into coastal lowland flood-plain.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. Alliance for Zero Extinction (2018): site confirmed as an AZE site during the AZE project (2015-2018). Taxonomy, nomenclature and Red List category follow the IUCN 2016 Red List.

Additional biodiversity: See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Ploceus bertrandi and Onychognathus tenuirostris both occur and Falco fasciinucha may do so. The highland grassland is the northern limit of Cisticola nigriloris and holds a population of Saxicola torquata, often considered an endemic race Saxicola torquata promiscua. All recent fieldwork has been concentrated in only two areas of Mamiwa-Kisara North Forest Reserve. The edges of these montane forests are important wintering habitats for migrant Sylvia atricapilla, Sylvia borin and Phylloscopus trochilus. Five species of the Zambezian biome have been recorded (see Table 3). Non-bird biodiversity: The plants Peddiea thulinii and Lobelia sancta are endemic to the Ukagurus.

Delineation rationale: 2009-10-19 (BL Secretariat): I have increased the site area from 15,494 ha to 19,413 ha, to take into account the overlap between the draft polygon for the site and the latest protected-area polygon data in WDPA 2009 (see Protected areas screen for more details). 2013-07-10 (BL Secretariat): the most recently reported site extent of 19413 ha has been changed to 21000 ha (as measured in GIS from the most recent boundary polygon, rounded to nearest 10%).

Habitats

Land use: forestry | water management

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Recently 3,600 ha of low-altitude forest were excised from the reserve to grow exotic pines. The northern boundary of Mamiwa–Kisara North Forest Reserve is now a well-marked straight line with intensive agriculture right up to the forest-edge. There are few trees left outside the Forest Reserve. The deforested plateau to the south-west of Mamiwa-Kisara North Forest Reserve is badly degraded, rather open grassland which would once have been forest.

Additional information