Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 03:27, 4 February 2026
East Africa > Uganda > Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
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Summary
- Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are present in Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve.
- The population size is unknown.
- The population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 392 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are hunting, charcoal production and mining.
- Conservation activities are not documented.
Site characteristics
Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve now covers approximately 392 km², with elevations from 975 to 2,136 m and receives about 1,250-1,400 mm of rainfall annually. The forest is located in the Ugandan Albertine Rift. The site is an important source of timber and an important watershed for Lake George, one of the most productive fisheries in the world (Plumptre 2002). During surveys conducted by the Forestry Department, 14 species were found here and nowhere else (11 butterflies and three trees). In addition, five Albertine Rift Endemics occur here (Plumptre 2002).
Table 1. Basic site information for Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Species | Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii |
| Area | 392 km² |
| Coordinates | Lat: -0.251216 , Lon: 30.259919 |
| Type of site | Protected area (Forest Reserve) |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, Grassland |
| Type of governance | Governance by government |
Types of sites Governance types Habitat types
Ape status
No new published population estimate for chimpanzees in Kasyoha-Kitomi has been found (2003–2025). Recent biodiversity surveys (ITFC; 2016–2022) confirm chimpanzee presence but do not provide updated density or abundance estimates
Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Species | Year | Occurrence | Encounter or vistation rate (nests/km; ind/day) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Survey area | Sampling method | Analytical framework | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2001 | Present | 405 (275-363) | Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve | Line transects | Plumptre, Cox & Mugume 2003 | |||||
| Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii | 2016 | Present | 67.3 km2 | Camera trap | NatureUganda 2016 | Big mammals and biodiversity surveys conducted by the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC) |
Sampling methods Analytical frameworks
Threats
Human activity is high primarily due to logging activities but it can include other activities people engage in whilst in the forest. Charcoal production, hunting for bushmeat and mining (coltan and in the past gold) are the main threats to chimpanzees in the forest (Plumptre 2002).
Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Low (up to 30% of population affected) | Agricultural encroachment (Plumptre 2002). | Ongoing (2002) |
| 3 Energy production & mining | 3.2 Mining & quarrying | High (more than 70% of population affected) | The forest has been mined in the past for gold according to local residents but recently it has also been mined fairly heavily for Columbo-tantalite or Coltan (Plumptre 2002). | Ongoing (2002) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Bushmeat hunting (Plumptre 2002). | Ongoing (2002) |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High (more than 70% of population affected) | Wood harvesting for charcoal burning; legal timber extraction (Plumptre 2002). | Ongoing (2002) |
Conservation activities
Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Implementing organization(s) | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The protected area was first established in 1932 with some realignments in 1963 (Plumptre 2002). | 1932-Ongoing (2026) |
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Challenges | Specific challenges | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Site management | 1.2 Need for improved coordination | Plumptre 2002 | Ongoing (2002) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.3 General lack of funding | Plumptre 2002 | Ongoing (2002) |
| 2 Resources and capacity | 2.6 Lack of biomonitoring/survey data | Plumptre 2002 | Ongoing (2003) |
| 3 Engaged community | 3.1 General lack of community engagement or support | Plumptre 2002 | Ongoing (2002) |
| 4 Institutional support | 4.1 Lack of law enforcement | Plumptre 2002 | 2002-Ongoing (2003) |
Enablers
Table 6. Enablers reported for Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Enablers | Specific enablers | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Site management | |||
| 2 Resources and capacity | |||
| 3 Engaged community | |||
| 4 Institutional support | |||
| 5 Ecological context | |||
| 6 Safety and stability |
Research activities
As of 2025 there is no recent published survey updating chimpanzee population size, density, or trend in Kasyoha-Kitomi beyond the 2003 estimate by Plumptre & Cox; new inventory work is needed for great apes.
Documented behaviours
Table 7. Behaviours documented for Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Category | Behavior | Observation type | Prevalence | Observation dates | Source | Habituation | Species | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
As part of a study on the exposure of African great ape sites to climate change impacts, Kiribou et al. subm. extracted climate data and data on projected extreme climate impact events for the site. Climatological characteristics were derived from observation-based climate data provided by the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP, www.isimip.org). Parameters were calculated as the average across each 30-year period. For 1981-2010, the EWEMBI dataset from ISIMIP2a was used. For the two future periods (2021-2050 and 2071-2099) ISIMIP2b climate data based on four CMIP5 global climate models were used. For future projections, two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) were used. RCP 2.6 is a scenario with strong mitigation measures in which global temperatures would likely rise below 2C. RCP 6.0 is a scenario with medium emissions in which global temperatures would likely rise up to 3C by 2100. For the number of days with heavy precipitation events, the 98th percentile of all precipitation days (>1mm/d) was calculated for the 1979-2013 reference period as a threshold for a heavy precipitation event. Then, for each year, the number of days above that threshold was derived. The figures on temperature and precipitation anomaly show the deviation from the mean temperature and mean precipitation for the 1979-2013 reference period.
The estimated exposure to future extreme climate impact events (crop failure, drought, river flood, wildfire, tropical cyclone, and heatwave) is based on a published dataset by Lange et al. 2020 derived from ISIMIP2b data. The same global climate models and RCPs as described above were used. Within each 30-year period, the number of years with an extreme event and the average proportion of the site affected were calculated (see Kiribou et al. subm. for details).
Table 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Value | 1981-2010 | 2021-2050, RCP 2.6 | 2021-2050, RCP 6.0 | 2071-2099, RCP 2.6 | 2071-2099, RCP 6.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean temperature [C] | 21.2 | 22.3 | 22.1 | 22.5 | 23.6 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 1193 | 1203 | 1258 | 1171 | 1250 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 21.9 | 26.3 | 28.2 | 29.2 | 24.3 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 5.7 | 5.7 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 8.2 |
Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
| Type | No. of years with event (2021-2050, RCP 2.6) | % of site exposed (2021-2050, RCP 2.6) | No. of years with event (2021-2050, RCP 6.0) | % of site exposed (2021-2050, RCP 6.0) | No. of years with event (2070-2099, RCP 2.6) | % of site exposed (2070-2099, RCP 2.6) | No. of years with event (2070-2099, RCP 6.0) | % of site exposed (2070-2099, RCP 6.0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crop failure | 1.5 | 0.05 | 0.5 | 1.05 | 2 | 1.59 | 3 | 0.8 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Heatwave | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| River flood | 1 | 1.91 | 3.5 | 3.13 | 1.5 | 0.12 | 4 | 1.89 |
| Tropical cyclone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 0.6 | 30 | 0.51 | 29 | 0.66 | 29 | 0.58 |
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Precipitation anomaly in Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve -
Temperature anomaly in Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
External links
References
Plumptre, A. J. (2002). Extent and status of the forests in the Ugandan Albertine Rift, Report to GEF PDF-b Albertine Rift Project. Wildlife Conservation Society, Kampala, Uganda.
NatureUganda. (2016). The status of biodiversity in Kasyoha-Kitomi Central Forest Reserve. NatureUganda.
Page created by: APES Atlas Team Date: 2023-05-13
Page updated by: Onella Mundi Date: 2025-10-15