Wildlife of Burundi
The
The protected area encompasses little more than 5% of the total area of the country.Legal status
With one exception, there were no national laws on conservation of wildlife during the colonial rule of
Habitat
The wildlife habitat of Burundi, spread over its 15 provinces, is effected by the moderate tropical climate, dominated by variation in elevation. An average annual temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) is recorded in the plateau region while the
Protected areas
There are three national parks in Burundi:
- Kibira National Park is 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) in size and contains the country's largest rainforest and borders Rwanda's Nyungwe National Park.[8][9]
- Ruvubu National Park covers 50,800 hectares (126,000 acres), making it the largest park in the country. It is known for its hiking trails and has expansive views.[8][9]
- Rusizi River in the outer limits of Bujumbura.[2]
Apart from the national parks, there are four reserves:
- Lac Rwihinda Nature Reserve – 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres)
- montane forest in the country)[2]
- Rumonge Nature Reserve – 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres)
- Kigwena Forest Nature Reserve – 800 hectares (2,000 acres)
In addition, there are two natural monuments:
Flora
The flora is characterized by East African evergreen bushland and secondary grassland, as well as Afromontane vegetation including transitional rainforests in the western mountain region. Hyphaene–Acacia and Brachystegia trees are noted in the lake shores. The Brachystegia–Julbernardia (miombo) trees are seen in south-eastern border area. The Bugesera region in the north and the Kumoso depression on the east have profuse vegetation of Acacia–Combretum trees, and Brachystegia trees.[10] The vascular flora reported is of 2,950 species under 195 families. In the high altitude in particular many species of wild flora are reported to be endemic; 70 species of plants are reported in this category.[1]
Fauna
There are 163 species of mammals, 52 species of reptiles, 56 species of amphibians and 215 species of fish. It is also reported that at high altitudes, endemicity is distinct in 17 species of mammals and 22 species of birds. Lake Tanganyika has 200 species of fish and an equal number of molluscs.
The species reported under
Mammals
There are four subspecies of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), of which the West African savanna subspecies S. c. caffer found in Burundi number only about 500 now.[14] Sitatunga (Tragelaphus speldi) were once found in many swamps in Burundi, but by the 1980s their numbers had dwindled, and the species' present conservation status is unknown.[15] Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), also called the defassa waterbuck, was found throughout Burundi in the savanna grass land, then became restricted to the Ruvibu National Park. Only were reported in the 1980s and its present status is unknown.[16] Lichtenstein's hartebeest (Alcelaphus Lichtensteinii) occurred in the southeast.[clarification needed][17] Korrigum (also tsessebe, topi or tiang), Damaliscus lunatus, which were found in the eastern flood plains and savanna grasslands, is now extirpated.[18] Impala (Aepyeros melampus), which once inhabited the eastern savannas, is also extirpated.[19] Oribi (Ourebia ourebi), which occurred in the eastern and southern savanna and flood plains, is probably extirpated.[20] Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus), found in rocky outcrops in the south and east, is now extirpated.[21] Grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) is found in large numbers in spite of extensive hunting in the eastern and southern savannas. It is found in Ruvubu National Park.[22]
Birds
Reported avifauna include 596 species (439 resident and 109 seasonal migrants) of which 13 species of global conservation concern and three are introduced species; more species have been found but their details are not recorded (thus UNEP reports 716 species).
Environment
Deforestation is a major problem in Burundi, with trees being cut down for fuel or for agricultural clearing;[23] as a result, there is very little natural forest vegetation remaining.[24] Government conservation efforts are minimal, and only 5.4 percent of Burundi's land mass is officially protected.[23] In 2005, the government announced a ban on natural Christmas trees, claiming that around 80,000 conifers per year were lost to the Christmas trade.[25][26] Much of Burundi's wildlife is threatened with extinction, due to poaching and habitat loss. Gorillas and elephants are already completely extinct in the region.[23][24]
References
- ^ a b c d e f UNEP (November 2006). "National Biosafety Framework in Burundi" (PDF). National Institute for Environment and Nature Conservation for UNEP Organization. Archived from the original (pdf) on 17 March 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ a b c East 1999, p. 74.
- ^ WCMC 1991, p. 42.
- ^ a b c d Appiah & Gates, Jr. 2010, p. 221.
- ^ a b c d e Kanyamibwa & Weghe, p. 128.
- ^ Kanyamibwa & Weghe, p. 127.
- ^ Appiah & Gates, Jr. 2010, p. 244.
- ^ a b c Ham et al. 2010, p. 640.
- ^ a b c d "The National Parks and Nature Reserves of Burundi". World Institute for Conservation and Environment. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ Kanyamibwa & Weghe, pp. 127-128.
- ^ "Extinct frog rediscovered in Burundi". Wildlife Extra.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "Animalia: Taxon Information". Animal Diversity Organization. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "Threatened Species". Animal Info Organization. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ East 1999, pp. 106–107.
- ^ East 1999, pp. 122–125.
- ^ East 1999, pp. 175–176.
- ^ East 1999, p. 194.
- ^ East 1999, pp. 200, 204.
- ^ East 1999, p. 239.
- ^ East 1999, pp. 290, 293.
- ^ East 1999, p. 300.
- ^ East 1999, p. 348.
- ^ a b c "Burundi". Rainforest Mongabay.com. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Plant and animal life". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ "Christmas trees banned in Burundi". BBC News. 21 December 2005.
- ^ "Burundi: yes, we have no Christmas trees". TerraDaily. 23 December 2005.
Bibliography
- Appiah, Kwame Anthony; Gates, Jr., Henry Louis (2010). Encyclopaedia of Africa. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533770-9.
- East, Rod (1999). African Antelope Database 1998. IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-0477-7.
- Ham, Anthony; Bewer, Tim; Butler, Stuart; Carillet, Jean-Bernard; Paul Clammer; Matthew D Firestone; Mary Fitzpatrick; Katharina Lobeck Kane; Kate Thomas (1 September 2010). Lonely Planet Africa. Lonely Planet. p. 640. ISBN 978-1-74220-308-9.
- Kanyamibwa, Samuel; Weghe, Jean-Pierre Vande. "Burundi" (PDF). BirdLife International Organization. Archived from the original (pdf) on 8 January 2013.
- UNEP. "National Biosafety Framework in Burundi" (PDF). UNEP Organization. Archived from the original (pdf) on 17 March 2008.
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1991). Protected Areas of the World: Afrotropical. IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-0092-2.