Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve

Last updated
Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve
Ihimbo Forest
Uganda location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Located in Uganda
Location Rukungiri District,Western Region, Uganda
Coordinates 0°40′0″S29°49′59″E / 0.66667°S 29.83306°E / -0.66667; 29.83306
Area4.77 square Kilometers
Governing bodyNational Forestry Authority (NFA)

Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve, located in western Uganda, [1] [2] is one of the protected forest reserves in Uganda which is found in Rukungiri district. The Forest Reserve is situated near the villages of Bwambara and Kikongi. The forest reserve is endowed with natural herbs that are medicinal and cure ailments in the human body and managed by National Forestry Authority. The forest reserve was gazetted in 1965. [2]

Contents

Setting and structure

Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve covers a total of 4.77 km2. [2]

It is located at latitude 0° 40' 0" South and longitude 29° 49' 59" East.

Medicinal plants

Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve is well known for its medicinal [3] [4] purpose that it plays in the lives of local communities living around the forest. The forest covers communities like Bwambara, [5] Kikarara, Rwenshama, Nyabubare and Kikongi. All these parishes are found in Bwambara sub-county in Rukungiri district, South Western Uganda. [5] The plants found in this forest reserve include commonly used medicinal [6] plants [7] such as Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Lamiaceae, Poaceae and Eurphobiaceae with 26, 21, 12, 21, 11 and 10 species cited respectively as documented in the research findings of Mbarara University for Science and Technology. [8] [9]

Language

The language widely spoken by communities around Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve is Runyankole/ Kiga. [10] [11] [12]

Controversies

The key challenges facing the forest reserve are crosscutting. According to a study conducted by Mbarara University for Science and Technology, [8] [3] the challenges facing Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve include destruction for farmland, poaching, encroachment, human settlements, illegal extraction of park resources and political pressure to de-gazette park land, Hunting of bush meat, illegal harvesting of timber and other plant products, charcoal making, encroachment for farmland mining, political pressure to de-gazette or change the land use of forest reserves. The 108 km2 of the forest has been cleared for eucalyptus tree planting. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Elizabeth National Park</span> National park in Uganda

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a national park in Uganda.

Nkore is a Bantu language spoken by the Nkore ("Banyankore") of south-western Uganda in the former province of Ankole, as well as in Tanzania, the DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Uganda</span> Endemic flora and fauna

The wildlife of Uganda is composed of its flora and fauna. Uganda has a wide variety of different habitats, including mountains, hills, tropical rainforest, woodland, freshwater lakes, swamps and savanna with scattered clumps of trees. The country has a biodiverse flora and fauna reflecting this range of habitats and is known for its primates, including gorillas and chimpanzees. There are ten national parks and thirteen wildlife reserves; some 345 species of mammal and 1020 species of bird have been recorded in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation in Uganda</span>

Conservation in Uganda is the protection and sustainable use of the country's rich natural resources. It became a significant movement during the British colonial period in the early 20th century and continues to play a major role in Uganda's political economy, as it underpins the tourism industry which accounts for 23.5% of the country's exports.

Kyambura Game Reserve or Chambura Game Reserve, which includes the Kyambura Gorge, adjoins the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. It is home to a variety of wildlife. The area is an important water source for many animals and is surrounded by savanna, but is generally noted for its high concentration of primate life located in the gorge.

The Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC) is a post-graduate research institute based in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, in south-western Uganda. The institute is a semi-autonomous part of Mbarara University of Science and Technology and is focused on research, training, and monitoring for conservation management in the Albertine Rift ecoregion.

Mitragyna rubrostipulata is a tree indigenous to East Africa. It is native from Ethiopia through east-central tropical Africa to Mozambique. It grows in wet forests up to 2,000 m above sea level and is abundant in swamp forests along Lake Victoria.

Professor Paul Waako, is a Ugandan pharmacologist, academic and academic administrator, who serves as the Vice Chancellor of Busitema University, a public university in the Eastern Region of Uganda, since 1 May 2019.

John Massa Kasenene is a botanical and environmental ecologist, academic, scientist and academic administrator in Uganda. From 4 October 2022, he serves as the substantive Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Mountains of the Moon University (MMU), at that time, the tenth public university in the country.

Mafuga Central Forest Reserve is a protected area nestled within the landscapes of Rubanda district and Rukungiri district in Western Uganda. This forest reserve, managed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA), is renowned for its biodiversity, stunning mountain scenery, and ecological features. As a key component of Uganda's Central Forest Reserves system, Mafuga Central Forest Reserve plays a crucial role in conservation efforts and serves as a haven for numerous plant and animal species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve</span> A protected area in southwestern Uganda.

Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve is a protected area located in Bushenyi district in south-western Uganda. Covering an area of 137 square kilometers, the reserve is characterized by its diverse ecosystem consisting of dense tropical rainforest vegetation and a wide range of wildlife.

Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve is located in Western Uganda, 35 kilometers from Bushenyi Town, South of Lake George and the Kazinga Channel, and covers an area of 433 square kilometers along the South of Lake George and Kazinga channel in the Albertine region. The reserve is situated in the administrative districts of Bushenyi, Rubirizi, Ibanda and Kamwenge.

Rwengiri Central Forest Reserve is a protected tropical forest that is located in Rukungiri district in Western Uganda. It covers an area of 155 km2. It managed by the National Forestry Authority. Its WPDA ID is 40357. It was designated a reserve in 1968.

Kasyoha-Kitomi Central Forest Reserve is located in Western Uganda, and has an area of 433-square-kilometre (107,000-acre). It is located south of Lake George and the Kazinga channel in the Albertine Rift eco-region, which is known for its abundance of endemic species. The forest reserve lies within the counties of Bunyaruguru, Igara and Buhweju in the administrative districts of Bushenyi, Ibanda and Kamwenge It was officially gazetted in 1932 and is controlled by Uganda's National Forestry Authority (NFA).

Mubuku Central Forest Reserve is a forest located in the Rwenzori Mountains region of Western Uganda, situated near the villages of Nyakalengija and Kilembe. The forest reserve covers a significant area and plays a vital role in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the region.

Kikumiro Central Forest Reserve is a forest located in Kabarole district, 300 km2 from Kampala, western Uganda and is protected by National Forestry Authority. The reserve is bordered by Ntoroko, Kagadi district to the north, Kibaale district to the East, Kamwenge to the to the south and Bundibugyo district to the west. The communities living around this forest reserve include Kyarutwe, Kyembamba, Kyongera, Mitoma A, Ibaale and Barahiija communities that are close to villages of Bihanga and Kyarukomi A. It covers a total land area of 7.1 km2 and was gazette in 1948 as a forest reserve National Forestry Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Imaramagambo Central Forest Reserve</span> Protected area in Uganda

South Imaramagambo Central Forest Reserve is a protected area in Rukungiri District in the Western Region of Uganda. It covers an area of 152 square kilometres (59 sq mi).

Kapchorwa Central Forest Reserve is a forest reserve located in Kapchorwa district found in the eastern part of Uganda at the slopes of Mount Elgon. It is bordered by Mbale, Bulambuli, and Sironko in the south-west, Nakapiripit and Moroto in the north, and the republic of Kenya in the east. The area largely comprises the sabiny, pokot and the nandi communities of western Kenya. The 0.06 square kilometer forest reserve is located at an Altitude of 2,100 to 2,400 meters above sea level.

Bugamba Central Forest reserve is a natural forest located in the Rwampara district, in southwestern Uganda. It has been referred to as an intensive soil conservation zone. The Reserve is one of the few softwood plantations where spacing is practiced. It is managed and is maintained on behalf of the Government of Uganda by the National Forestry Authority (NFA) under the National Forestry Authority and Tree Planting Act 8/2003.

Kebisoni Local Forest Reserve is a protected forest that is located with in Rubabo Subcounty in Rukungiri District in western Uganda. It It is managed by National Forestry Authority. Its WPDA ID is 40367. It was declared a forest reserve in 1998. It covers an area of 0.06 km2.

References

  1. "Best Hiking Trails in Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve". GaiaGPS.com. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  2. 1 2 3 "Protected Planet | Ihimbo". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  3. 1 2 3 "Medicinal plant species used by local communities around Queen Elizabeth National Park, Maramagambo Central Forest Reserve and Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve, South western Uganda - PDF Free Download". coek.info. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  4. Gumisiriza, Hannington; Birungi, Grace; Olet, Eunice Apio; Sesaazi, Crispin Duncan (2019-07-15). "Medicinal plant species used by local communities around Queen Elizabeth National Park, Maramagambo Central Forest Reserve and Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve, South western Uganda". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 239: 111926. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2019.111926. ISSN   0378-8741.
  5. 1 2 "Medicinal plants used to treat" African" diseases by the local communities of Bwambara sub-county in Rukungiri District, Western Uganda". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  6. Gumisiriza, Hannington; Birungi, Grace; Olet, Eunice Apio; Sesaazi, Crispin Duncan (2019-07-15). "Medicinal plant species used by local communities around Queen Elizabeth National Park, Maramagambo Central Forest Reserve and Ihimbo Central Forest Reserve, South western Uganda". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 239: 111926. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2019.111926. ISSN   1872-7573. PMID   31067488.
  7. "Medicinal plant species used by local communities around queen elizabeth national park, maramagambo central forest reserve and ihimbo central forest reserve, south western Uganda". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  8. 1 2 "Home". Mbarara University of Science & Technology. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  9. "Executive order No3: Museveni bans charcoal trade, guides on the Balaalo". Monitor. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  10. "Kiga language". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  11. "Is Runyankore-Rukiga dying together with the language icons?". New Vision. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  12. "Runyankole Translation Services | English to Runyankole Translations |". translate4africa. Retrieved 2023-05-21.