Rwenzori Mountains National Park
East Africa > Uganda > Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Summary
- Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are present in Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
- It has been estimated that 231 individuals occur in the site.
- The population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 996 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are illegal logging, bushmeat hunting, and illegal resource harvesting.
- Conservation activities implemented include conducting anti-poaching patrols.
Site characteristics
Located in western Uganda, Rwenzori Mountains National Park comprises part of the Rwenzori mountain chain, including Africa's third highest peak, Mt Stanley's Margherita Peak at 5,109 m above sea level (UNESCO). The park is contiguous with the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (BirdLife International 2020). The region's glaciers, waterfalls and lakes make it one of the most fascinating afro-alpine areas.The park is known for its rich and unique flora; some of the world's rarest vegetation can be found here (UNESCO). Some unusual flora found here include the giant heather, and two species of forest tree, Hypericum bequaertii and Schefflera polysciadia, which are only known from Rwenzori (BirdLife International 2020; Uganda Wildlife Authority). In addition, the site is home to 70 mammals and 217 bird species, including 19 Albertine Rift endemics (UNESCO; BirdLife International 2020). Twenty-five invertebrate species from the area have been described in the last 15 years (BirdLife International 2020). Mammal species of conservation concern include the Rwenzori duiker (Cephalophus rubidus), forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), Ruwenzori colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) and L'Hoest's monkey (Cercopithecus l’hoesti); subspecies of blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) and rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) are only known from Rwenzori Mountains National Park (BirdLife International 2020).
Henry Stanley, an explorer, placed the Rwenzori in the map in 1888; he documented "Ruwenzori" as a local name meaning “rain-maker” or “cloud-king” (Uganda Wildlife Authority). Before that, the Rwenzoris were named “Mountains of the Moon” by the Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy in AD 150 (Uganda Wildlife Authority). Much later, in 1941, the site was declared a Forest Reserve; in 1991 it was gazetted as a National Park, and in 1995 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Uganda Wildlife Authority). The park was designated as a Ramsar Site in 2008. The Rwenzori mountains are not volcanic, as other major mountains in East Africa, but they are a block of rock up-faulted through the floor of the Western Rift Valley. The site has been long known by mountaineers. The oldest person to reach Marguerita Peak was Ms. Beryl Park, aged 78 in 2010 (Uganda Wildlife Authority).
Table 1. Basic site information for Rwenzori Mountains National Park
| Area | 996 km² |
| Coordinates | 0.363517 N, 29.949944 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, rocky areas (e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks), wetlands (inland) – permanent rivers/streams/creeks (includes waterfalls) |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Rwenzori Mountains National Park
| Species | Year | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Encounter rate (nests/km) | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2000 | 500 | 0.506 | Rwenzori Mountains National Park | Reconnaissance walk | Makombo 2017 | |||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2010 | 384 | 0.385 | Rwenzori Mountains National Park | Line transects | Makombo 2017 | |||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2016 | 231 | Rwenzori Mountains National Park | Chimpanzee sightings | Makombo 2017 |
Threats
The main threats to the park are illegal logging, bushmeat hunting, and illegal resource harvesting, especially of bamboo (UNESCO).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Rwenzori Mountains National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Unknown | ||||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Present, but threat severity is unknown | Hunting for bushmeat (UNESCO). | Ongoing | |
| 5.2 Gathering terrestrial plants | Present, but threat severity is unknown | Harvesting plants, especially bamboo (UNESCO). | Ongoing | ||
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity is unknown | Illegal logging (UNESCO). | Ongoing | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Unknown | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Unknown | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities in Rwenzori Mountains National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Not reported | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Not reported | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Anti-poaching patrols are conducted at the site (UNESCO). | Ongoing |
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Not reported | ||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Not reported | ||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Not reported | ||
| 9. Pollution | Not reported | ||
| 10. Education & Awareness | Not reported | ||
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | The site was designated as a National Park in 1991. | Ongoing |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Rwenzori Mountains National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Recent climate-driven ecological changes in tropical montane lakes of Rwenzori Mountains National Park, central Africa
Looking for Medium-term Conservation and Development Impacts of Community Management Agreements in Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Rwenzori Mountains National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
Rwenzori Mountains National Park UNESCO
Uganda Wildlife Authority
Rwenzori Mountains National Park Ramsar
Relevant datasets
References
BirdLife International. (2020). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Ruwenzori (Rwenzori) Mountains National Park. Retrieved from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/12/2020.
Makombo, J. (2017). State of Conservation Report for Rwenzori Mountains National Park World Heritage Property –
Uganda. World Heritage Centre, UNESCO.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 30/12/2020