Rwenzori Mountains National Park (7045)
Uganda, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, B1, B2
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Central coordinates: Latitude: 0.3900, Longitude: 29.9500
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1700 to 5100
Area of KBA (km2): 993.23722
Protected area coverage (%): 98.06
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The park, which includes Uganda’s highest point, Margherita peak, rises from the floor of the Western Rift Valley. Totalling 993 km2, it is contiguous with the Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo (IBA CD010). The park covers an extremely steep and rugged mountain range between 1700-5100m a.s.l., whose highest peaks are permanently covered with ice and snow, although the ice is rapidly retreating with climate change. The natural vegetation is determined largely by altitude, with five distinct zones. In the lower-lying areas (below c.2,400 m, though up to 3,800 m in sheltered valleys), the vegetation is montane forest, characterized by trees of Symphonia, Prunus, Albizia, Dombeya and others. There are few large trees and the canopy is very open, except in valley bottoms and on ridge-tops where the gradient is comparatively gentle. This area occupies about 240 km². Bamboo Arundinaria forms almost pure stands in many areas between 2,500 and 3,000 m. Above c.3,800 m, a tree-heath occurs, in which giant heather Phillipia forms dense thickets, although in more sheltered places there is a mixture of stunted trees and tangled undergrowth. Above this, up to the snow-line at c.4,400 m, is an Afro-alpine moorland zone. In total, forested and wooded areas cover c.55,000 ha of the park. Although the fauna of the park may not be easily seen, the attraction which makes the Rwenzoris so famous is the remarkable spectacle of snow and ice-covered peaks in the centre of Equatorial Africa.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a global KBA for three mammals (Rwenzori otter shrew, Montane Shaggy Rat, and montane mouse shrew), four birds (Handsome Francolin, Ruwenzori Turaco, Stripe-breasted Tit, and Shelley's Crimsonwing), three reptiles (Helmeted chamaeleon, Rwenzori Plate-nosed Chameleon, and Ruwenzori Four Toed Skink) and two plants (Dendrosenecio adnivalis and Dendrosenecio erici-rosenii).
Manageability of the site: The site is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and is visited by tourists climbing the mountains
Supersedes another site: Boundary submitted uses the officially recognised boundary for the site by the Government of Uganda and differs slightly from the existing shapefile
Delineation rationale: The boundary of the site follows the legally gazetted boundary of the national park as recognised by the Uganda Government
Habitats
Land use: Managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority for conservation.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 4 | |
| Unknown | 3 | |
| Forest | 78 | |
| Savanna | 11 | |
| Grassland | 2 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Ongoing | |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Nomadic grazing | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |