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Education | Forest Function | Global Carbon | Land/Water | Landcover/Land Use | Science in Public Affairs
Building Tours | Seminars | Global Warming Primer | Staff Essays | Published Literature | Related Sites
Kibale National Park, UgandaOverview | Data
Kibale National Park in western Uganda is home to the Makerere University Biological Field Station, and has thus been the site of some of the longest-running research efforts in the Albertine Rift. The Park is home to twelve spcies of primates, including the black and white colobus and red colobus monkeys, the L'Hoest monkey, and chimpanzees. In addition, red and blue duikers, bush buck, giant forest hogs, African elephants, lions, golden cats, civets, and the Congo clawless otter can be found in Kibale. Three hundred twenty-five species of birds have been sighted, including the Kibale Progogine's ground thrush, which is endemic to the Park. There are also more than twenty species of freshwater sigh that may be found in the Mpanga and Dura Rivers, their tributary streams, and surrounding seasonal wetlands. Historically, Kibale and the surrounding lands had been reserved for use as the kings' hunting grounds. Over the last few decades, this area was also managed to provide sustained production of hardwood timber; the land-use history of the Park creates a unique opportunity to study the complex interactions between humans and the rich natural environment of the Albertine Rift region.
Natural Environment
The 793 square kilometer Kibale National Park is located approximately 25 km east of the Rwenzori foothills; the southern boundary of the Park is nearly contiguous with the northern edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The terrain within Kibale is characterized by gentle hills overlying the dominant north to south elevation gradient, which ranges from a high point of 1,590 m in the northern sector of the Park to 1,110 m at its southern edge. This change in elevation drives the climatic variation within the Park; the synergy of elevation and average temperature and rainfall gradients determines the dominant vegetation types within Kibale. The average annual rainfall over the entire Park area is 1,750 mm, which is concentrated into two peaks; average daily temperature ranges from a minimum of 14° to a maximum of 27°C. The vegetation of Kibale National Park can be divided into three general categories: forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Wetlands are found within the lower-lying floodplains surrounding the two large rivers draining the Park; the Mpanga and the Dura are both south-flowing rivers that empty into Lake George. During dry periods, open water may be found only in small pools and deep channels; when the rains come, however, steambeds flood and fills the adjacent grasslands, forming a network of swamps. These swamps are typically colonized by stands of papyrus and various species of palm tree. Forests cover approximately three quarters of Kibale's area; vegetation is generally classified as mid-altitude moist tropical forest. Forests in the northern sector of the Park, where the elevation is typically above 1,500 m, are Grasslands in Kibale cover approximately 15% of the Park's total area. Large tracts of grassland are generally found on hilltops; the origins of these non-wooded areas can be tracted back to human settlement or the use of fire by hunters.
Land UseKibale National Park is located in a region of Uganda historically noted for its dense forests and favorable climate. Despite the fact that 90% of the soils in the region are deeply weatherered and only moderately fertile, continued agricultural development has led to large-scale forest clearing. The area surrounding the Park supports a very high density of people, the majority of which beling to the Batoro and Bakiga ethnic groups. Rapid population growth due to high birth rates is augmented by migration in to the region from neighboring districts, which a large portion of migrants coming from the Kabale District in southern Uganda and from the Democractic Republic of the Congo. Most people living in the region practice subsistence agriculture, relying on crops including bananas, ground nuts, and sweet potatoes to feed their families and provide substance for trade. Tea is grown on a few plantations as a commercial crop; small timber and fuelwood plantations of eucalyptus are also found throughout the landscape. Outside of these relatively insignificant timber plantations, almost no forest remains outside the Park boundaries. Kibale was formally gazetted as a National Park in 1993; between 1932 and 1993 this area was managed as a Forest Reserve to provide a sustained harvest of hardwood timber. Ther northern portion of the Park was especially targeted for its valuable timber species, including Cordia millenii and Entrandrophragma angolense, resulting in changes to the ecosystem structure and functino that continue to impact the forest today.
Threats to ConservationPrior to Kibale's designation as a National Park, permiteed activities within the Reserve included logging; hunting; cultivation; collection of medicinal plants, fuelwood, and building materials; and harvesting of wild coffee. In addition to the main protected area, the Kibale Game Corridor was established to connec the southern border of Kibale with the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, creating a migration pathway between the two protected areas. This corridor was less intensely managed than the main body of Kibale, and illegal settlement in this area was soon rampant. Local families trying to cultivate increasingly infertile cropland fled to the open land between the two parks. Settlement entailed clearing tracts of forest for agriculture, as well as hunting the very animals the corridor had been established to protect. It is estimated that anywhere from 8,800 to over 100,000 people lived illegally within this protected landscape during the 1970s and 1980s.
Today, the legacy of many generations of intensive resource use in and around Kibale National Park remains clearly imprinted on its forests, streams, and animal populations. While protection for the Park and its resources has increased since the early 1990s, the population of the surrounding region continues to grow at a rapid rate, straining the limits of the land to supply food, shelter, and water. Encroachment on Kibale and its natural resources from human populations represents the largest stumbling block to conservation in this region.
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©Woods Hole Research Center, 2008 |
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dominated by evergreen assemblages and are generally rich in timber specise. The southern region of Kibale ranges form 1,100 m to 1,200 m; forests here are characterized by a greater portion of deciduous tree species than those to the north. Forests in the central portion of the Park are comprised of a mix of northern and southern species assemblages. In general, forest understory in all portions of the Park is sparse due to the dense canopy cover; thicker understory may be found in areas which have experienced canopy destruction or disturbance.
