KITULO NATIONAL PARK
Kitulo National Park is a protected area of montane
grassland and montane forest on
the Kitulo Plateau in the southern highlands of Tanzania. The park
is at an elevation of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) between the peaks of
the Kipengere and Poroto mountains
and covers an area of 412.9 square kilometres
(159.4 sq mi), lying in Mbeya Region and Njombe Region.
The park is administered by Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and
is the first national park in tropical Africa to
be established primarily to protect its flora.
Locals refer to
the Kitulo Plateau as "Bustani ya Mungu" ("The Garden of
God"), while botanists have referred to it as the "Serengeti of
Flowers".
Creation of the park
Protection of
the Kitulo Plateau's unique flora was first proposed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS),
in response to the growing international trade in orchid tubers
and increased hunting and logging activities in the surrounding
forests. In 2002, President Benjamin
Mkapa announced the establishment of the park. The park was
formally gazetted in 2005, becoming Tanzania's fourteenth national park.
TANAPA has stated that the park could be expanded in the future to include the
neighbouring Mount Rungwe forest.
Kitulo Plateau
The Kitulo
Plateau lies between two parallel ridges. Its montane grasslands are home to
350 species of plants, including numerous ground orchids, geophytes,
and other Afroalpine plants. During the November to April wet
season the montane grasslands are carpeted with displays of flowers. Many
species are limited to the Kipengere Range and nearby highlands, and three
– Brachystelma kituloensis, Impatiens rosulata and Pterygodium
ukingense – are limited the Kitulo Plateau.
Livingstone Forest
The Livingstone
forest is a montane evergreen forest that descends the souttwestward-facing
slope of the park. It is the largest block of forest in the park, and the
largest in the Kipengere Range. Thickets of bamboo (Yushania
alpina) can be found between the upper montane forests and the
high altitude grasslands. The Livingstone Forest lies in the former Livingstone
Forest Reserve (240.34 km²), which was incorporated into the national park when
it was created in 2005. The Bujingijila Gap, a narrow corridor of farms
and tree plantations, separates the Livingstone Forest from the Mount Rungwe
forests.
The Livingstone
Forest is home to three limited-range species of mammals – the endangered Kipunji (Rungwecebus
kipunji), Rungwe dwarf galago (Galagoides sp.
nov.), and Abbott's duiker (Cephalophus spadix). All
three species also live in the forests of nearby Mount Rungwe.
In 2005, field
scientists from the WCS discovered a new species of primate on and around Mount
Rungwe and in the Livingstone Forest area of the park. Initially known as
the Highland Mangabey, later changed to its Tanzanian name of Kipunji,
it is one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world.
Ndumbi Forest
The Ndumbi
forest, at the eastern end of Kitulo National Park, includes montane evergreen
forest and forests of East African Cedar (Juniperus
procera).[13] The
former Ndumbi Valley Forest Reserve (27.71 km²) was established in 1956, and
was incorporated into the national park when it was created in 2005. The Ndumbi
forest is also home to a 100-meter waterfall.
By our
correspondent
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