Selous Game Reserve

Description
Maps
Documents
Gallery
Indicators
Assistance
Selous Game Reserve
Large numbers of elephants, black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses and
crocodiles live in this immense sanctuary, which measures 50,000 km
2
and is relatively
undisturbed by human impact !he park has a variety of vegetation "ones, ranging from
dense thickets to open wooded grasslands
English
#rench
$rabic
%hinese
Russian
Spanish
&apanese
'utch
Selous ( )vergreen
*utstanding +niversal ,alue
-rief synthesis
!he Selous Game Reserve, covering 50,000 s.uare kilometres, is amongst the largest
protected areas in $frica and is relatively undisturbed by human impact !he property
harbours one of the most significant concentrations of elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetah,
giraffe, hippopotamus and crocodile, amongst many other species !he reserve also has an
e/ceptionally high variety of habitats including 0iombo woodlands, open grasslands, riverine
forests and swamps, making it a valuable laboratory for on1going ecological and biological
processes
%riterion 2i/34 !he Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest remaining wilderness areas in
$frica, with relatively undisturbed ecological and biological processes, including a diverse
range of wildlife with significant predator5prey relationships !he property contains a great
diversity of vegetation types, including rocky acacia1clad hills, gallery and ground water
forests, swamps and lowland rain forest !he dominant vegetation of the reserve is
deciduous 0iombo woodlands and the property constitutes a globally important e/ample of
this vegetation type -ecause of this fire1clima/ vegetation, soils are sub6ect to erosion when
there are heavy rains !he result is a network of normally dry rivers of sand that become
raging torrents during the rains7 these sand rivers are one of the most uni.ue features of the
Selous landscape Large parts of the wooded grasslands of the northern Selous are
seasonally flooded by the rising water of the Rufi6i River, creating a very dynamic ecosystem
%riterion 2/34 !he reserve has a higher density and diversity of species than any other
0iombo woodland area4 more than 2,800 plants have been recorded and more are thought
to e/ist in the remote forests in the south Similarly, the property protects an impressive
large mammal fauna7 it contains globally significant populations of $frican elephant
2Lo/odontha africana3 2809,:003, black rhinoceros 2'iceros bicornis3 22,8:53 and wild
hunting dog 2Lycaon pictus3 ;t also includes one of the world<s largest known populations of
hippopotamus 2=ippopotamus amphibius3 28>,2003 and buffalo 2Syncerus caffer3 220?,0853
!here are also important populations of ungulates including sable antelope 2=ippotragus
niger3 2@0003, Lichtenstein<s hartebeest 2$lcelaphus lichtensteinii3 252,8503, greater kudu
2!ragelaphus strepsiceros3, eland 2!aurotragus ory/3 and Ayassa wildebeest 2%onnochaetes
albo6ubatus3 2>0,>853 ;n addition, there is also a large number of Aile crocodile 2%rocodilus
niloticus3 and :50 species of birds, including the endemic +d"ungwa forest partridge
2Benoperdi/ ud"ungwensis3 and the rufous winged sunbird 2Aectarinia rufipennis3 -ecause
of this high density and diversity of species, the Selous Game Reserve is a natural habitat of
outstanding importance for in1situ conservation of biological diversity
;ntegrity
Cith its vast si"e 25,820,000 ha3, the Selous Game Reserve retains relatively undisturbed
on1going ecological and biological processes which sustain a wide variety of species and
habitats !he integrity of the property is further enhanced by the fact that the Reserve is
embedded within a larger D0,000 km
2
Selous )cosystem, which includes national parks,
forest reserves and community managed wildlife areas ;n addition the Selous Game
Reserve is functionally linked with the ?2,000 km
2
Aiassa Game Reserve in 0o"ambi.ue,
and this is another important factor that ensures its integrity Cith no permanent habitation
inside its boundaries, human disturbance is low
Erotection and management re.uirements
!he Selous Game Reserve has appropriate legal protection and a management plan has
been developed ;t is managed as a game reserve, with a small area 2>F3 in the north
dedicated to photographic tourism while most of the property is managed as a hunting
reserve $s long as .uota are established and controlled in a scientific manner, the level of
off1take should not impact wildlife populations and, in fact, should generate substantial
income which needs to be made available for the management of the reserve in order for the
system to be sustainable $ detailed tourism strategy for the reserve needs to be developed,
in line with the framework and principles outlined in the management plan !he income
generated by those activities needs to be made available for the management of the reserve
in order for the system to be sustainable !he large si"e of the reserve presents important
management challenges in terms of the levels of staffing and budget re.uired Gey
management issues that need to be addressed are4 control of poaching, in particular of
elephants and black rhinoceros7 ensuring sufficient benefits for the local communities
through the wildlife management areas and the improved management of hunting and
photographic tourism )nhanced surveillance and ecological monitoring systems are
re.uired to provide a better scientific5technical basis for management of the property<s
natural resources, as well as to better understand the impacts5benefits of consumptive and
non1consumptive tourism !he most significant threats are related to e/ploration and
e/traction of minerals, oil and gas, and large infrastructure plans7 environmental impact
assessments need to be conducted for all development activities in the vicinity of the
property that are likely to have an impact of the property<s *utstanding +niversal ,alue !o
ensure long term integrity of the property it is important to ensure its management as part of
a wider Selous ecosystem and to take the necessary measures to maintain the functional
link to Aiassa Game Reserve in 0o"ambi.ue
Long 'escription
!he Selous Game Reserve is an ecosystem 2@,?00,000 ha3 and includes 0ikumi Aational
Eark and Gilombero Game %ontrolled $rea $ large area of the reserve is drained by the
Rufi6i River and tributaries that include the Luwegu, Gilombero, Great Ruaha, Luhombero
and 0barangardu !he Rufi6i is formed by the Luwegu and Gilombero which 6oin at Shughuli
#alls Soils are relatively poor and infertile
Chile there are many habitat types, the deciduous miombo woodland is dominant, providing
the world<s best e/ample of this vegetation type7 as this is thought to be maintained by fire it
may be the result of human activities in the past
!he reserve has a higher density and species diversity than any other miombo woodland
area, despite long winter drought and poor soils, owing to its si"e, the diversity of its habitats,
the availability of food and water and the lack of settlements $nimal populations in the
surrounding areas are often as high, especially in the dry season and contain many of the
same species Some ?00 species of animal are known and in 8D>9 appro/imately @50,000
large animals of 5@ species were recorded !he greatest concentrations are in the north and
north1east, also in the inner south ;n 8DD?, in the reserve and surrounding buffer area, there
were 52,000 of the endangered $frican elephant, 50F of the country<s total, which is growing
again after years of decline due to ivory poaching4 80D,000 in 8D>0 had dwindled to :8,000
by 8D>D Cithin the reserve they totalled :8,@:5 in 8DD? and are found throughout the area
!he critically endangered black rhinoceros, which numbered :,000 in 8D>8, are now
estimated as between 800 and ?00 in several small scattered populations
Several animal populations are large 2the figures are .uoted from a 8DD? aerial survey by
!C%034 buffalo 28:>,0003, blue and nyasa or white1bearded wildebeest 2?9,5003, impala
22D,5003, -urchell<s "ebra 228,5003, Lichtenstein<s hartebeest 220,0003, kongoni 288,@003 and
common waterbuck 280,0003 Grassland species north of the Rufi6i include giraffe 22,2003,
blue wildebeest, buffalo, impala, eland, reedbuck, warthog, lion 2vulnerable at :,0001?,0003
and an occasional cheetah, also vulnerable =ippopotamus 22@,0003 and crocodile are
abundant Greater kudu, sable antelope 28,9003, with eland, impala, nyasa wildebeest and
hartebeest are typical of the miombo woodland *ther relatively widespread mammals
include yellow baboon, leopard, spotted hyena, the largest population of the wild dog in
$frica 2endangered4 appro/imately 8,:003 !here are also sidestriped 6ackal, puku,
klipspringer, and red and blue duikers Rarer species include San6e crested mangabey,
+hehe red colobus 2vulnerable3, black and white colobus monkey, topi and Sharpe<s
greysbok
!he birdlife is rich4 :50 species of bird have been recorded including knob1billed duck,
southern ground hornbill and bateleur eagle, Stierling<s woodpecker, white1headed lapwing,
the endemic +d"ungwa forest partridge 2classed as vulnerable3 and the rufous1winged
sunbird 2also vulnerable3 !he ad6acent 0ikumi lowlands and mountains and Gilombero
wetlands and the nearby +d"ungwa 0ountains are rich in vulnerable bird species which, like
the Gilombero weaver, might stray into the reserve !he globally threatened wattled crane,
corncrake and lesser kestrel also occur Reptiles and amphibians are numerous but little
studied
!he area is so large that it can absorb all but the most severe pressures on its resources
!here are plans to harness the flood waters of the Rufi6i River, with a dam to be constructed
at Stie.ler<s Gorge7 but this would affect only relatively small part of the reserve and should
not be a matter of Selous concern unless the reservoir draws in large numbers of settlers
-ecause of difficulties of transportation, the interior of Selous is seldom patrolled, so the
estimated numbers of species may be far in e/cess of the current true situation if poaching
has been as serious a problem as elsewhere in )ast $frica 0uch of the infrastructure of the
site 2roads, guardposts, water systems, etc3 has deteriorated in recent years due to lack of
sufficient funding