Semuliki National Park (7049)
Uganda, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Semuliki National Park
Central coordinates: Latitude: 0.8300, Longitude: 30.0600
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 670 to 760
Protected area coverage (%): 95.90
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This park, sometimes referred to as Bwamba forest, lies in the Albertine Rift Valley, north-west of the Rwenzori mountains. It borders the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and covers 220 km2 of lowland forest between 670-760m a.s.l. The Lamia and Semliki rivers bound the park to the west and north, and the Fort Portal–Bundibugyo road forms part of its boundary to the south. The Park is contiguous with the DRC’s Virunga National Park and with the small North Rwenzori Forest Reserve in Uganda. Much of its flat to gently undulating landscape is poorly drained and floods during rainy seasons. Much of the park (c.19,500 ha) is covered by forest, which is classified as moist semi-deciduous and which is dominated over large areas by a single tree species, Cynometra alexandrii. Swamp-forest communities occupy about 7% of the area, dominated by Mitragyna, oil-palm Elaeis and Ficus. The breakdown of law and order in the 1970s and early 1980s resulted in about 30% of the original forest cover being cleared for agriculture and settlement. However, the encroachers were evicted in 1988 and 1990, and the forest is now slowly regenerating.The Semliki forest is cut off from the rest of East Africa by the natural barrier of the Rwenzori massif. Its forests represent an easterly extension of the Congo-basin/Ituri forest of north-eastern DRC and its flora and fauna show strong affinities with the Congo-Basin forests. There are also strong affinities between the people and cultures of Bwamba and those of neighbouring DRC.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site is a global KBA for its population of Uganda clawed toad (Xenopus ruwenzoriensis) that is found here and possibly one other site only.
Manageability of the site: The site is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority
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
Other site values: Some Batwa people live near the boundary of the national park and have some access rights
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.
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Ongoing | |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |