The ecological changes of Echuya afromontane bamboo forest, Uganda

Abstract

Echuya forest reserve was gazetted in 1939 and was then mainly a bamboo forest with very few hardwood trees. However, the current ecological situation shows that hardwood trees are replacing bamboo. This study analysed the current ecological situation in relationship to past ecological changes and in£uences. Line transects were laid systematically at 1000 m intervals across the forest in order to describe the current vegetation variation.Echuya forest has changed in size and composition from1954 to the present. The area occupied by pure bamboo has decreased from 20.5% to 12.5%, bamboo^hard wood mixture decreased from 48.2% to 26.2% and pure hardwood stands increased from 16% to 51%. It can be suggested that the exclusion of ¢re, herbivores and human activities after reservation of Echuya have gradually led to the conversion of the grassland^bamboo ecosystem into a hardwood forest ecosystem. Macaranga kilimandscharia Pax. is the major colonizing hardwood tree species. Most of the gaps are covered with heavy loads of Mimulopsis species climbers, which suppress bamboo growth.

Population structure of montane bamboo and causes of its decline in Echuya Central Forest Reserve, South West Uganda

“…Echuya forest reserve is located in south‐western part of Uganda in Bufumbira County, Kisoro district and Rubanda County, Kabale district. It lies between 1°14′–1°21′S and 29°47′–29°52′E (Banana & Tweheyo, 2001; Bitariho & Mcneilage, 2004). Echuya is under the management of National Forest Authority.…”

“…Kingston (1968) reported 39 years ago that Echuya forest had big, tall and dense bamboo stems with occasional hardwood trees and shrubs, but this is not the case today (Bitariho & Mcneilage, 2004). Over the past 50 years, about half of the bamboo stands in Echuya have been replaced by trees and the bamboo is slowly but surely becoming a minor component of the understory (Banana & Tweheyo, 2001; Bitariho & Mcneilage, 2004; Bitariho & Mosango, 2005). Local bamboo harvesters have indicated that some tree species such as Macaranga kilimandscharica and Nuxia congesta suppress the growth of bamboo where they grow (Bitariho & Mcneilage, 2004; Bitariho & Mosango, 2005).…”

Bamboo for people, Mountain gorillas, and golden monkeys: Evaluating harvest and conservation trade-offs and synergies in the Virunga Volcanoes

“…Such harm could arise in many ways (Kleinhenz and Midmore, 2001); Wimbush (1945, cited in Kigomo, 1988 notes that clear-cutting depresses subsequent re-growth of Y. alpina. A decline of bamboo in the Echuya Forest Reserve, near to MGNP, has been ascribed to excessive harvesting (Banana and Tweheyo, 2001;Bitariho and McNeilage, 2008). These cases involve general harvesting in which young stems are collected -they do not clarify the impact of harvesting only older stems.…”

Chimpanzee diet and habitat selection in the Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda

“…The challenge to tropical forest wildlife is to adapt to these changes. Uganda has several species diverse rain forests supporting large populations of wildlife (Butynski, 1984;Banana and Tweheyo, 2001) and among these is the Budongo Forest Reserve, which is well known for its chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) populations (Howard, 1991). However, the combined effects of logging activities and increasing encroachment with agriculture are threatening the reserve and its population of chimpanzee (Reynolds, 1992).…”