New Ramsar wetland site

A new Ramsar wetland site has been declared in the Rwenzori Mountains, home to some of the last glaciers in Africa and a wealth of endemic species.

The site covers 99,500 hectares of this mountainous region in western Uganda. It earned its Ramsar designation for the wetland bogs that support plant and animal life; the dozens of endemic threatened and restricted-range species, such as Rwenzori duiker and Rwenzori otter shrew, that live there; and the integral role played by many of the vulnerable species in maintaining the local biodiversity.

The Rwenzoris are one of only three places in Africa that have high-altitude wetlands (the others are Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro), and they act as a natural water tower for the Nile basin. 'They are very important for the ecology and hydrology of the region,' says Paul Mafabi, Commissioner for Wetlands and the Ramsar Administrative Authority. 'In particular they supply water to Lake George, Ugandas first Ramsar site, which has one of the highest fish diversities in Africa.'

( Africa Geographic, August 2009 )

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