Sango Bay Area (7053)
Uganda, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Sango Bay Area
Central coordinates: Latitude: -0.9200, Longitude: 31.5800
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1130 to 1130
Area of KBA (km2): 542.31802
Protected area coverage (%): 34.63
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Sango Bay area (542 km2), north of the Uganda–Tanzania border, adjoins the Lake Nabugabo area to the north. The main road between Masaka and Mutukula at the Tanzanian border marks its western limit; its eastern limit is the Lake Victoria shoreline. There are wetlands, grasslands and forests.In total, the forests within this site cover c.15,000 ha. There are five Forest Reserves: Kaiso, Tero East and West, Namalala and Malabigambo. All are of a rather homogeneous nature, broadly classified as swamp-forest, formerly important for its Podocarpus timber species, most of which have been logged out over the past 100 years. The canopy is generally lower than that of medium-altitude mixed evergreen forest, although many of the component species are the same. The area is considered of biogeographic interest because it lies in the transition between the East and West African vegetation zones. There is evidence that the area was a Pleistocene refugium.The Malabigambo Forest is contiguous with Minziro Forest of neighbouring Tanzania. The site also contains a mosaic of wetland types, including permanent and seasonal swamp-forests, papyrus Cyperus papyrus swamps, herbaceous swamps interspersed with palms, and seasonally flooded grasslands. The Sango Bay wetlands are extensive, stretching along the shores of Lake Victoria from Kyabasimba in the south to Malembo in the north. In areas such as Kyabasimba, the shoreline is varied, with sandy shores, rocky shores, forested shores and a fishing village. The shoreline of the bay itself is fringed by papyrus, merging into the extensive flood-plains of the Bukora river delta. The bay is relatively unsheltered and experiences serious wave action. As a result, there is little fringing water-hyacinth Eichhornia, unlike bays in the Entebbe area. At Sango Bay itself, there is a small fish-landing site and an old disused pier, whose structures are important roosts for birds.At the mouth of the River Kagera, the shore is relatively exposed, with mainly sandy shores merging into papyrus swamp. The deposition of silt carried by the Kagera has led to the creation of a wide shallow belt with a sandbar at the river mouth.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site meets global KBA status for its Blue swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea) population that migrates here in the non-breeding season.
Manageability of the site: The site includes the Sango bay Forest reserves and the area around the forests including parts of Lake Victoria. The forest reserves are managed by the National Forest Authority. The rest of the area is used by local communities.
Supersedes another site: The boundary was also modified slightly to include parts of Sango Bay Forest Reserve in the south which had been omitted in the original shapefile
Delineation rationale: The boundary follows the boundary of the original IBA, modifying it slightly to include all of the Sango Bay Central Forest Reserve.
Habitats
Land use: It is a Ramsar site
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Savanna | 5 | |
| Forest | 61 | |
| Unknown | 2 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 12 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 12 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | ||
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Ongoing | |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |