About Mount Rungwe Nature Forest Reserve
Mount Rungwe Nature Forest Reserve has a long history that dates
back to 1949 when it was first gazetted as a Catchment Forest with an area of
13,652.1 ha. It is a tropical montane forest with unique species composition,
structure and biodiversity. The reserve is an important conservation area in
Tanzania as well as having great value at regional and global levels. In 2009
the reserve was upgraded to a nature forest reserve so as to improve its
conservation. The main vegetation types of the reserve are lower montane
forest, upper montane forest, bushed grassland, bamboo belt, and heath.
Mount Rungwe Nature Forest Reserve is in Rungwe district, Mbeya
region, Southwest Tanzania covering most of Mount Rungwe located between 90
03’ - 90 12’S and 330 35’ - 330 45’E.
Regionally Rungwe district borders Kyela district in the South, Ileje district
in the West, Makete district in the East and Mbeya district in the North. The
reserve is 25 km southeast of the regional centre, Mbeya town, and 7 km north
of Tukuyu. The reserve can be accessed in the north and east via the
Isongole-Ndala road which runs between the reserve boundary and Kiwira Forest
Plantation. In the West, the area is serviced by the Rungwe Mission road which
runs along the reserve boundary in several places. In the South, access to the
reserve is by the Katumba-Kandete road. Some 10 km to the northwest is the
Poroto Ridge Forest Reserve with impressive Crater of Lake Ngosi.
Songwe International Airport is
approximately 80 km from Mount Rungwe Nature Forest Reserve. This eases accessibility from people outside
Mbeya region and foreigners. The airport is not yet receiving international
flights, thus passengers always have to come and go through Dar es Salaam.
However the daily flights are proving to be popular among the growing business
sectors in the region.
Mount Rungwe offers a diverse of unique scenery featuring Rungwe
Peak (2,981 m.a.s.l), a barren mountain top from which one can view Poroto
Ridge, Mbeya Peak, Loleza (Kaluwe) Peak and areas stretching down into Malawi.
These attract an array of mountain hikers and climbers. Another feature of
interest is a Crater Lake Lusiba found at 2,400 m a.s.l. below the bamboo belt.
Lusiba-lukafu is an evergreen creek which dries during the dry season and flows
in the rainy season. The area is also host to special sites of traditional
importance to the surrounding communities, one such is Masieto for the Nyakyusa
to conduct traditional rituals or ceremonies.
Mount Rungwe Nature Forest Reserve is key in conservation of
residual tropical montane forest as well as rare, endemic and endangered
biodiversity. It is a reservoir of species heritage in Tanzania and the world
at large. The area demands greater sensitivity in management interventions as
well as abating threats as it is host to rare, endemic and endangered flora and
fauna. The Reserve is host to two of the world’s twenty five rarest primates,
the Kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji) and
the Rungwe galago. Important antelopes including the very rare Abbott’s duicker
are harbored in this reserve. The Reserve is a key water tower in the region
providing water to countless villages and towns for domestic, agriculture and
industrial use in Mbeya, Rungwe and Kyela Districts. The mountain is the
catchment for key rivers in the landscape including Kiwira, Suma, Mbaka,
Kilasi, Marogala, Mrombo, Mulagala, Sinini and Mwatisi Rivers, which flow into
Lake Nyasa shared by Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique.
Other areas of interest apart from Mount Rungwe Nature Forest Reserve in Mbeya region are:
Other areas of interest apart from Mount Rungwe Nature Forest Reserve in Mbeya region are:
·
Lake
Ngozi
·
Rift
Valley Meeting point
·
God’s
Bridge
·
Matema
Beach
·
Kitulo
National Park
·
Hot
springs
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