Mabira Forest Reserve (7052)
Uganda, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, B1
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Mabira Forest Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: 0.4600, Longitude: 33.0100
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1070 to 1340
Area of KBA (km2): 295.89868
Protected area coverage (%): 99.30
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Mabira Forest Reserve is the largest block of moist semi-deciduous forest remaining in the central region of Uganda at 306 km2. The reserve occupies gently undulating country between 1070 and 1340m altitude a.s.l., characterized by numerous flat-topped hills and wide, shallow valleys. Some of these valleys have papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) swamps. The topography is such that the land drains to the north, even though the reserve’s southern boundary lies only 13 km from the shores of Lake Victoria. Forest in the reserve covers c.29,000 ha and is considered to be secondary, in which the distinct vegetation-types are sub-climax communities, heavily influenced by humans over prolonged periods of time. The reserve is isolated from other protected areas by settled agricultural land. Commercial use began when some parts were harvested for timber from the early 1900s up to 1988, agricultural encroachment for intensive coffee/banana plantations was badly damaging large parts of the reserve. The closeness of Mabira to Kampala, and the presence of various ecotourism facilities, make this KBA a popular site for visitors.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: Two species are global KBA triggers for this site: Nahan's francolin (Ptilopachus nahani) and the Moon shrew (Crocidura selina).
Manageability of the site: The site has been managed by the National Forest Authority as a central forest reserve.
Supersedes another site: Boundary also revised to use shapefile used by Uganda Government - you will see it follows the forest boundary on satellite imagery more accurately
Delineation rationale: The boundary of the site follows the legally gazetted boundary of the Central Forest Reserve as recognised by the government of Uganda
Habitats
Land use: It is managed as a forest reserve by the National Forest Authority primarily for biodiversity conservation and watershed management.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 78 | |
| Savanna | 18 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 2 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Agro-industry farming | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | 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 |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing |