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.
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 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 with
Afromontane species characteristic of Africa's mountains. Historically
''Baikieaea insignis'' subsp. ''minor'' and ''
Afrocarpus dawei'' 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 ''(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 perenni ...
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