The Sango Bay forests are distinctive forests found in southwestern Uganda, near the border with Tanzania. The Sango Bay forests grow on seasonally-flooded lowlands near on the lower reaches of the

Kagera River The Kagera River, also known as Akagera River, or Alexandra Nile, is an East African river, forming part of the upper headwaters of the Nile and carrying water from its most distant source.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: G ...

, just west of where it empties into

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...

Geography

The Sango Bay forests lie in

Rakai District Rakai District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Rakai is the site of the district's headquarters. Location Rakai District borders Lyantonde District to the northwest, Lwengo District to the north, Kyotera District to ...

. They extend north and west of the lower Kagera River, on alluvial soils deposited by the river – predominantly clay, with sandy soils in the northern portion. The town of Minziro lies in the center of the forested area, near the Tanzanian border. The towns of Kanabulemu and

Sango Bay Sango Bay is a settlement in the southern part of the Central Region, Uganda, Central Region of Uganda. Location Sango Bay is located in ''Sango Bay Parish'', Kakuuto Sub-County, Kyotera District, in the Central Region, Uganda, Buganda Region o ...

are on the forests' eastern edge.

Climate

The climate of the region is tropical. Average annual rainfall ranges from 1,250 and 2,125 mm, with two rainy seasons. The main rainy season is from March to May, with shorter rains falling during September through November. Average annual temperatures range from 16º to 26ºC. Seasonal floods occur during the March to May rainy season.

Ecology

The Sango Bay forests are a forest-wetland ecosystem with swamp forests, Acacia woodlands, grasslands, and papyrus swamps. The swamp forests, which extend into the adjacent

Minziro Forest The Minziro (Nature) Forest Reserve is a conservation area along the Kagera River in Bukoba district of northwestern Tanzania. It protects one of the largest forests in Tanzania, of a forest type that is unique in the country. It was gazetted in 1 ...

of Tanzania, are a distinctive plant community, blending characteristic species from the lowland

Guineo-Congolian forests The Guineo-Congolian region is a biogeographical region in Africa straddling the Equator and stretching from the Atlantic Ocean through the Congo Basin to the Congo / Nile divide in Rwanda and Burundi. Formerly, this region was largely covere ...

found further east in the

Congo Basin The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...

with

Afromontane The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions ...

species characteristic of Africa's mountains. Historically ''Baikieaea insignis'' subsp. ''minor'' and ''

Afrocarpus dawei ''Afrocarpus dawei'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to Africa, where it occurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda. This species is a tree that grows in swampy forest habitat that is ...

'' were the predominant canopy trees, although widespread logging has altered the species composition of the forest. The forests are home to populations of the monkeys

Ruwenzori colobus The Ruwenzori colobus (''Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii''), also known as Ruwenzori black-and-white colobus, is a subspecies of the Angola colobus. This primate is distributed from the Afromontane forests of the Ruwenzori Mountains across the mount ...

''(Colobus angolensis ruwenzori)'' and

Uganda mangabey The Uganda mangabey (''Lophocebus ugandae'') is a species of Old World monkey found only in Uganda and in the Minziro Forest Reserve, just over the border in Tanzania. This crested mangabey was previously thought to just be a population of the ...

''(Lophocebus ugandae)''. Savannas of '' Vachellia kirkii'' are found along seasonally-flooded riverbanks. Papyrus swamps grow in permanently-flooded areas along rivers. The grasslands are predominantly the

tussock grass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial ...

es '' Miscanthus violaceus'', '' Loudetia kagerensis'', and ''

Themeda triandra } ''Themeda triandra'' is a species of perennial tussock-forming grass widespread in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Pacific. In Australia it is commonly known as kangaroo grass and in East Africa and South Africa it is known as red grass and re ...

''.

Sango Bay Forest Reserve

The Sango Bay Forest Reserve is a protected area covering 578km². It consists of five blocks – Malabigambo (110.78 km²), Kaiso (18.93 km²), Namalala (23, 97 km²), Tero west (26.83 km²) and Tero east (10.67 km²). About 180 km² (31%) of the reserve is forested, while 400 km² (68.9%) is grassland.Galabuzi, Charles. (2015). "Conservation and Local Utilization of Key Anti-Malarial Medicinal Plants in the Sango Bay Area, Southern Uganda." https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277569902_Conservation_and_Local_Utilization_of_Key_Anti-Malarial_Medicinal_Plants_in_the_Sango_Bay_Area_Southern_Uganda Despite its official protected status, unregulated logging has depleted the forests in the reserve, altering the forest structure and its species composition. ''Afrocarpus dawei'', once a dominant canopy tree, is now scarce.

References

{{coord missing, Uganda Forests of Uganda Forest reserves of Uganda Victoria Basin forest–savanna mosaic