Kitulo plateau (7036)
Tanzania, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: B2

Year of last assessment: 2011

National site name: Kitulo plateau

Central coordinates: Latitude: -9.0300, Longitude: 33.8710

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1800 to 2961

Area of KBA (km²): 649.95623

Protected area coverage (%): 93.72

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site includes three Forest Reserves, a dairy farm and an as-yet-undefined area of village/government land. The Kitulo plateau is an area of montane grassland that lies between a lower plateau around Matamba village to the north-east and the Livingstone Forest Reserve, which lies along the escarpment above Mwakaleli town, to the south. To the north the highland block on which the Kitulo sits is bordered by the Usangu flood-plain. To the south lies the deep trough of Lake Nyasa while eastwards the ground slopes gently downwards towards Njombe town at 1,850 m. Immediately to the west is Mount Rungwe (TZ065) and beyond that the Umalila mountains (TZ069). The montane grassland is too high for tree growth and is renowned for its highland plants, especially orchids. The area of grassland has been given as 27,300 ha, of which 18,500 ha is managed by the dairy farm. The Chimala Scarp Forest Reserve (17,575 ha) to the north is largely miombo woodland on the dry northern face of the Chimala escarpment. The Ndumbi Valley Forest Reserve (2,736 ha) is largely grassland and, in theory, offers some protection to the habitat. To the east is the long, narrow Ndukuduku Forest Reserve (3,265 ha) which also contains areas of grassland, but of a steeper, more rocky nature. To the immediate south and south-west lies Livingstone Forest Reserve (26,365 ha) which is mainly montane forest and was designated to protect the slopes of the Livingstone Escarpment above the tea-growing area around Mwakaleli town.

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. KBA identified in the process of compiling the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the East Afromontane Hotspot. Species taxonomy and threat category was based on IUCN Red List 2010-4. The site holds a significant population of the following plant species which, although not yet Red-List-assessed at the global level, are thought likely to be categorised as globally threatened once assessed (thus meeting the KBA Vulnerability criterion), based on existing regional or national Red List assessments (species also considered as site-endemic are tagged with Irr1 [KBA Irreplaceability 1 criterion]): Asclepias alpestris, Asclepias breviantherae, Asclepias edentata, Asclepias inaequalis, Brachystelma coddii, Ceropegia kituloensis, Impatiens cribbi, Impatiens rosulata, Indigofera atriceps, Inula rungwensis (Irr1), Kleinia patriciae, Pachycarpus grantii, Pachycarpus richardsiae, Polygala humifusa (Irr1), Selago nyasae, Sopubia mannii, Trifolium wentzelianum.

Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 2 for key species. Falco naumanni has also been recorded and the area is likely to hold a wintering population of Circus macrourus. The Kitulo plateau holds the only remaining viable population of Ardeotis denhami in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Important populations of the near-endemic Mirafra africana nigrescens are found on the plateau, as is Anthus brachyurus. Coturnix coturnix and Francolinus shelleyi breed and so might Pseudhirundo griseopyga and Hirundo angolensis. Falco biarmicus and Buteo augur nest in the experimental plots of exotic pine Pinus. Four species of the Afrotropical Highlands biome have been recorded from this site (see Table 3). Non-bird biodiversity: The montane grassland is important botanically; three endemic plants and a further 14 near-endemics are known.

Delineation rationale: 2013-07-10 (BL Secretariat): following CEPF East Afromontane ecosystem profiling process, the reported IBA area of 100000 ha has been changed to 65000 ha (as measured in GIS from latest boundary polygon, rounded to nearest 10%).

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | forestry

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Shrubland	9
Forest	85
Artificial - Terrestrial	5

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The presence of the dairy farm has offered some protection to the remaining grassland habitat, but it does not appear to be commercially viable. This is of serious concern for the future of the remaining habitat. Large areas of the Forest Reserves and the dairy farm are illegally cultivated with potatoes. In recent years commercial collectors from Zambia are reported to have devastated the orchid population of the plateau. Recent initiatives, led by government, seek to develop some form of long-term protection for at least part of the IBA.

Additional information