Burundi

África

174

Documented species

Parks and reserves

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Burundi occupies the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift, with a mountain crest that separates the Nile and Congo basins and drops sharply towards Lake Tanganyika. That lake, one of the oldest and deepest in the world, is the country's great natural heritage: its waters hold an extraordinary assemblage of fish that evolved there and exist nowhere else. In the western mountains, Kibira park keeps montane rainforest continuous with Rwanda's Nyungwe, with chimpanzees, colobus and a rich forest birdlife. To the east, Ruvubu park protects a savannah crossed by the river of the same name, with buffalo, hippopotamuses and antelopes. The Rusizi wetlands, at the mouth of the river of the same name, concentrate hippopotamuses, crocodiles and waterbirds.

The nature of Burundi

National animal: No official national animal; the lion appears in the symbolism of the state

Did you know?

In Lake Tanganyika hundreds of cichlid fish species have evolved that live nowhere else, with astonishingly specialised ways of life. Some are tiny and spend their whole existence inside empty snail shells lying on the bottom, which they use as home, refuge and nest, defending them against intruders as though they were property.

Biodiversity profile

Africa Oriental (Rift Albertino, pais sin litoral)13 areas protegidas cubren 100.000 ha del territorio; solo 6,7% del pais permanece forestado (172.000 ha)

Climate

•Templado de montaña tropical, moderado por la altitud, similar al de Ruanda

Main biomes

•Bosque montano del Rift Albertino (oeste, compartido con Ruanda en el complejo Nyungwe-Kibira)
•Sabana en las tierras bajas del este
•Zonas ribereñas del Lago Tanganica (oeste)
•Lago antiguo tropical
•Selva de montaña afromontana
•Sabana arbolada
•Humedal fluvial
•Bosque de galería
•Pradera de altitud
•Llanura aluvial

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•No aplica (pais sin litoral); el Lago Tanganica, segundo lago mas profundo del mundo, es un ecosistema de agua dulce de gran relevancia

Flagship wildlife

•Chimpance
•Hipopotamo y cocodrilo del Nilo (Lago Tanganica)
•Aves endemicas del Rift Albertino en el Parque Kibira
•Cíclidos del Tanganica
•Hipopótamo
•Cocodrilo del Nilo
•Colobo blanco y negro
•Búfalo cafre
•Sitatunga
•Antílope jeroglífico
•Grulla coronada cuelligrís
•Nutria de cuello moteado

Notable endemic species

•Aprox. 2.500 especies de plantas superiores registradas, con 145 especies de aves, 107 de mamiferos, 79 de reptiles, 18 de anfibios y 5 de peces
•Cíclidos endémicos del lago Tanganica
•Sardina del Tanganica

Notable threatened species

•Chimpance (En Peligro Critico, poblacion muy reducida en el Parque Nacional Kibira)
•Especies de peces endemicos del Lago Tanganica bajo presion de sobrepesca

Notable protected areas

•Parque Nacional Kibira (bosque montano, parte del complejo transfronterizo Nyungwe-Kibira con Ruanda)
•Parque Nacional Ruvubu
•Parque Nacional de Kibira
•Parque Nacional de Ruvubu
•Parque Nacional de Rusizi
•Lago Tanganica
•Reserva Natural de Bururi
•Paisaje protegido de Gisagara

Main conservation threats

•Deforestacion severa por presion demografica extrema, dejando solo 6,7% de cobertura forestal remanente
•Fragmentacion del habitat del chimpance en Kibira
•Sobrepesca en el Lago Tanganica

Conservation

Deforestation for firewood and cultivation and the silting of the rivers affect both Kibira and the water quality of Lake Tanganyika. Overfishing of the lake sardine compromises a protein source that is essential to the lakeside population.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Rusizi at dawn for hippopotamuses and crocodiles. Kibira in the dry season for chimpanzees and forest birds. The shores of Lake Tanganyika for cichlids with mask and snorkel.

Sources: eac.int - Biodiversity East African Community

Savanna Mountain Freshwater