The Kibira National Park (french: Parc national de Kibira) is a national park in northwestern Burundi. Overlapping four provinces and covering , Kibira National Park lies atop the mountains of the

Congo-Nile Divide The Congo-Nile Divide (or Nile Congo Watershed) is the continental divide that separates the drainage basins of the Nile and Congo rivers. It is about long. There are several geologically and geographically distinct sections between the point o ...

. It extends north from the provincial town of

Muramvya Muramvya is a city located in central Burundi. It is the capital city of Muramvya Province Muramvya Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. The capital city is Muramvya. In 2007 the province was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tent ...

to the border of Rwanda where it is contiguous with the

Nyungwe National Park The Nyungwe Forest () is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainfores ...

Forest

It is estimated that around 16% of the park consists of primary

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

rainforest (the only montane forest in all of Burundi) and is adjacent to two large tea plantations, one in Teza and the other in Rwegura. The Park exceeds 1,100 m in elevation. Dominant tree species include ''

Symphonia globulifera ''Symphonia globulifera'', commonly known as boarwood, is a timber tree abundant in Central America, the Caribbean, South America and Africa. This plant is also used as a medicinal plant and ornamental plant. Common names Common trade names of t ...

Newtonia buchananii ''Newtonia buchananii'' is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. Description ''Newtonia buchananii'' is a tree from 10–40 meter high, forming a loose canopy with a flattish top. It has smooth bark, and the trunk has small buttresses at t ...

Albizia gummifera ''Albizia gummifera'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae, native to sub-saharan Africa and Madagascar, and naturalized in Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the large ...

'' and '' Entandrophragma excelsum''. The forest contains areas of montane bog and bamboo stands. A total of 644 plants grown in the park. There are 98 species of mammal in the forest and 200 species of birds have been recorded here. Although the Kibira has not been as thoroughly studied as some of its neighboring protected areas, it still is considered 'the most important site in Burundi for the conservation of montane-forest birds'.

Birds

Some of the important birds found here include the

great blue turaco The great blue turaco (''Corythaeola cristata'') is a bird species of the family Musophagidae. At in length, it is the largest species of turaco. It has predominantly grey-blue plumage with an upright blue-black crest around high. The male and ...

mountain buzzard The mountain buzzard (''Buteo oreophilus'') is a bird of prey that lives in montane forests in East Africa, it and the forest buzzard (''Buteo trizonatus'') of southern Africa were, until recently, considered to be a single species. Description ...

(''Buteo oreophilus''), white-spotted flufftail (''Sarothrura pulchra''),

grey parrot The grey parrot (''Psittacus erithacus''), also known as the Congo grey parrot, Congo African grey parrot or African grey parrot, is an Old World parrot in the family Psittacidae. The Timneh parrot ''(Psittacus timneh)'' once was identified as ...

(''Psittacus erithacus''), bar-tailed trogon (''Apaloderma vittatum'') and the

black-and-white-casqued hornbill The black-and-white-casqued hornbill (''Bycanistes subcylindricus'') also known as the grey-cheeked hornbill, is a large black and white hornbill. It has an oversized blackish bill with a large casque on top. The female is slightly smaller than ...

(''Bycanistes subcylindricus''). The Kibira is home to a number of primate species, including

chimpanzees The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

and black and white colobus monkeys. The park is managed by the Institut National pour l'Environnement et la Conservation de la Nature (INECN).
Black-and-white colobus Kilimanjaro

History

Until 1933, this forest was a hunting reserve of the kings of Burundi. The local people respected the forest, investing it with a magical power. Rights of use for livestock grazing and the gathering of forest products were recognized. The sacred character of the forest, even prior to the colonial era, helped to conserve it. Between 1933 and 1980 Kibira was classified as the Congo-Nile Ridge Forest Reserve, first under Belgian rule, then after Burundian Independence in July 1962. Only the extraction of high-value timber was regulated and controlled.

Independence

Between Independence and 1980, the right to allocate new land for cultivation within the defined boundary was abolished, although grazing rights were retained. Despite its status as a National Park, there is much pressure on parts of the forest as a result of felling of trees and cutting of bamboo, fire and poaching, and encroaching subsistence agriculture.

Water

The water from the forests of the Kibira National Park account for over three-quarters of the water that goes into the country’s largest dam, which generates half of the hydroelectric energy generated in the country.

Gallery

File:Corythaeola cristata -Jurong Bird Park, Singapore-8a.jpg, Great blue turaco File:Buteo oreophilus 1.jpg, Mountain buzzard File:Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill - Bronx Zoo.jpg, The black-and-white-casqued hornbill

References

External links

BirdLife International Important Bird Areas Factsheet for Kibira National Park
{{authority control National parks of Burundi Protected areas established in 2000 Albertine Rift montane forests