Vasily Grebennikov: Kakamega Forest
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Tanzania 2002: Uluguru Mountains

This is highly isolated and relatively small ridge of mountains about 2600 m high and some 40-60 km long located immediately south from the city of Morogoro. A lot of biological information on Ulugurus might be found on the Uluguru Mountains Biodiversity Conservation Project web-site, including descriptions of some mountain hikes.

Ulugurus, being a part of the famous East Arc Mountains, have highly endemic fauna. Basilewsky estimated that among Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) 18% of genera and 90% of species are endemic, while for Pselaphinae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) these numbers are 31% and 100% respectively (see: Leleup 1965: 56-57). Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, had an expedition to Ulugurus in May-August 1971 manned by L. Berger, N. Leleup and J. Debecker. The results were published in a long strain of articles under the general title "Mission entomologique de Museé Royal de l'Afrique Centrale aux Monts Uluguru, Tanzanie".

Uluguru Mts. is not an easy place for a backpacker, because distances are relatively long, public transport around mountains sporadic or non-existing, mid-day sun strong and mountain slopes badly cultivated straight to the border of the Forest Reserve on the altitude of about 1900m. Entry to the forest has to be paid for at the forestry office in Morogoro and it costs $5 per day. From Morogoro I went for about 50 km on a bad sloppy road to the village Nyandira on the south-western side on Uluguru Mts. and stayed there is a good guest house run by Sokoine University for $5 per day (without meals). From there it is three hours hot walk to the Lukvangule Plateau via Tchenzema village going through badly eroded slopes with cabbages and maize. For the first walk a guide is highly recommended; the trail to the Plateau goes through dense forest on a steep slope above the Tchenzema village and one has to know the entry point into the forest.

Leleup N. 1965: La faune entomologique cryptique de l'Afrique intertropicale. Annales du Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Serie in-8º, 141, IX+186 pp.

TANZANIA: Uluguru Mts. Illegal fire-wood collectors from Tchenzema villages. These people hardly have any other source of energy but the wood from the constantly shrinking Uluguru forest.





TANZANIA: Uluguru Mts. Note the clear border of the forest.





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Last updated: January 15, 2007