Africa Safari News and Travel

Mabamba wetland in Uganda, a home to shoebills was designated as a Ramsar site and listed as one of the nine wetlands of international importance in Uganda.

The persistent demolition of wetlands for homes and trade has caused a harsh blow to the ecosystem of the rare shoebill.

The executive director, Achilles Byaruhanga said; “In 1990, Wetlands International counted 600 shoebills in Uganda, but in 1998 when Nature Uganda did the recounting, they recorded only about 250 shoebills.”

In Uganda, the major habitat and breeding areas for the shoebills is Lake Kyoga sudds with the highest concentration of these birds. Other areas with this endangered bird species include; Nabugabo Swamp, Mabamba wetlands, Murchison Falls national park, Nabajjuzi wetland, Lutembe, Sango Bay, areas surrounding Lake George in Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Park and some of the Lake Victoria wetlands.

The recorded world population for the rare shoebill stalk is approximately 6,000 with Southern Sudan having the biggest percentage of population in the world due to the large expanses of wetland sudds in the region.

The breeding nature of the shoebill laying two eggs in five years leads to slow recovery of the lost numbers unless their breeding places are tightly protected by the concerned governments.

They live lives, breeds in deep secluded marshes and wetland sudds and feed on lungfish, tilapia and some vegetation.

Mabamba wetlands, one of the homes to shoebills, found in Kasanje sub-county, Wakiso district along the shores of Lake Victoria was designated as a Ramsar site and added to the list of nine wetlands of international importance in Uganda on World Wetlands Day -February 2.

“Mabamba wetlands are a great international site to tour. And there is much to be seen,” said Dr. Peter Bridgewater, the outgoing secretary general of Ramsar, adding: “It is the only swamp near Kampala where one can easily find the globally threatened shoebill.”

The last counting revealed that 14 shoebills inhabited Mabamba. The shoebill, usually called the legendary bird, lays its eggs on the floating wetland vegetation. Afte laying the eggs, the male and female take turns to look after the eggs.

Hannington Kasasa, the operations manager of Mabamba Bird Guides and Conservation Association explained that; “the first to sit on the eggs takes one month and the second takes three weeks.”

This wetland is a major bird watching destination with Over 190 species of birds. Mabamba’s system supports up to 75% of the population of migratory globally, vulnerable bird species like the blue swallows, kingfisher, African jacana and African fish eagle are also found here.

The marshes are also breeding grounds for fish except the Nile perch.
In addition, the system supports a high diversity of plant species and over 200 butterfly species have been recorded in Mabamba.

Bridgewater urged the people living around natural resources to use them wisely. “We have to conserve the wetlands. What I have seen is very inspiring,” he said. He further explained that wetlands have many advantages like filtering and storing water plus regulating climate and water flow. “Wetlands are really important for the ecosystem.”

He alleged, if the area is developed for safaris, they could make 10 tours on average between one to five tourists every week, in addition to the charge sh40, 000 per boat ride.

The major seasons for Uganda bird watching safaris and field trips are mainly July to August and January to February. February marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian City of Ramsar 36 years ago.

The aim of this convention was to call international attention to the rate at which wetlands were disappearing and provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

Currently, Uganda is holding the vice chair of the Ramsar Standing Committee and chair of the sub-group on the strategic plan 2003-2008. Uganda hosted the Conservation of Parties in November 2005 and is now part of arrangements for the next one to be held in Korea, 2008.

Uganda has made considerable progress in the area of wetlands management at an international scene, particularly as the first country in Africa to adopt a national wetlands policy, to institute the WID and integrating wetland issues into the poverty eradication strategies.

Uganda safaris

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 30th, 2007 at 11:56 am and is filed under Birding Safaris. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.