Wetlands Protected on Uganda's Mountains of the Moon

This unusual ecosystem has been known for nearly 2,000 years. In the first century AD, the Alexandrine geographer Claudius Ptolemy suggested that the Nile River had its source from snow peaks on the Equator, the "Lunis Montae" or Mountains of the Moon.

The Rwenzori in western Uganda is the highest mountain range in Africa, with six glacial peaks. The new Rwenzori Ramsar Site covers 99,500 hectares of the mountainous region - it is located within a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rwenzori National Park (Photo by Koeberle Martin)

The new Ramsar site borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the mountains are part of Virunga National Park - also designated under the Ramsar Convention and recognized as a World Heritage Site.

Paul Mafabi, commissioner of the Wetlands Management Department in Uganda's Ministry of Water and Environment, accepted the Ramsar site certificate for Uganda's newest Wetland of International Importance in a brief ceremony during the opening session of the 40th meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee in Gland.

"The Rwenzori Mountains are very important for the ecology and the hydrology of the region; in particular, they supply water to Lake George, Uganda's first Ramsar Site, which has one of the highest fish diversity in Africa," said Mafabi, who serves as the Ramsar Administrative Authority in Uganda. Lake George was designated under the Ramsar Convention in 1988.

"Together, the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda and the Virunga in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo offer the potential to become Africa's second transboundary Wetland of International Importance,” said Denis Landenbergue, wetlands conservation manager at WWF International.

WWF International's Freshwater Program has been supporting wetlands conservation in Uganda since 2000.

Landenbergue says the Ramsar designation has major conservation significance for the Rwenzori Mountains, which for years have suffered because of climate change.

The region's high altitude glaciers are rapidly melting. The glaciated area has shrunk from 6.5 square kilometers in 1906, when it was first surveyed by the Duke of Abruzzi, to less than one square kilometer in 2003, according to a report published by Dr. Richard Taylor in 2006.

The loss of Rwenzori's glaciers in turn affects wetlands in the lower altitudes that supply water to the area's people and wildlife.

Rwenzori wetland bogs support unique species of plant and animal life. Elephants and chimpanzees inhabit the area along with other endangered species such as the small antelope called the Rwenzori duiker, Cephalophus rubidus.

The mountains are known to support 21 species of small mammals, including the endemic and vulnerable Rwenzori otter shrew, Micropotamogale ruwenzorii.

L'Hoest's monkey is classed as Vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List. (Photo by Christian Boix courtesy Tropical Birding)

Other species of global conservation concern found in the new Ramsar site include L'Hoest's monkey, Cercopithecus lhoesti, the horseshoe bat, and Rockefeller's sunbird. Several indigenous fish species also are found within the site.

Since the 1960s, the cultivation of ever-steeper land below the protected area boundary has caused serious soil erosion. The eroding soil washes into rivers and lakes, affecting the livelihood of area fishermen.

In 2005, WWF in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority commissioned a US$3.2 million project to support and maintain the integrity of the Rwenzori mountain ecosystems.

WWF says the project has strengthened the management capacity of the Wildlife Authority. Illegal activities have been reduced, degraded sites have been restored, park management and infrastructure have been improved, and local environmental action plans have been developed. Trans-boundary dialogue and community based resources management are underway.

WWF says the relationship between the Park Management Authority and the surrounding communities has improved through awareness raising, revenue sharing and resource access schemes.

The national park is covered by a management plan that allows activities such as tourism, firewood collection and research to be carried out in zoned areas only.

Despite the stringent protection measures in place within the park, the Rwenzori Mountains continue to face challenges from increased demand for agricultural land, growing tourism, and climate change.

The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There currently are 1,842 wetland sites, totaling 180 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

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