The biodiversity of the Albertine Rift
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Date
2007
Authors
Plumptre, Andrew J.
Davenport, Tim R.B.
Behangana, Mathias
Kityo, Robert
Eilu, Gerald
Ssegawa, Paul
Ewango, Corneille
Meirte, Danny
Kahindo, Charles
Herremans, Marc
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Biological conservation
Abstract
The Albertine Rift is one of the most important regions for conservation in Africa. It contains
more vertebrate species than any other region on the continent and contains more
endemic species of vertebrate than any other region on mainland Africa. This paper compiles
all currently known species distribution information for plants, endemic butterfly
species and four vertebrate taxa from the Albertine Rift. The literature on fish species richness
and endemism is also reviewed to assess the importance of the larger lakes in the Rift
for conservation. We use data from 38 protected and unprotected areas to prioritise sites
within the Albertine Rift for conservation based upon their numbers of endemic and globally
threatened species. Virunga and Kahuzi Biega National Parks and Itombwe Massif in
Democratic Republic of Congo, Bwindi Impenetrable and Kibale National Parks in Uganda,
and Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda rank highest in terms of numbers of both endemic
and globally threatened species. Six conservation landscapes are described that include
most of these sites and it is argued that a focus on these landscapes may be a more holistic
method to ensure the safety of the priority areas of the Albertine Rift.
Description
Keywords
Albertine Rift, Priority setting, Mammals Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Plants, Biodiversity
Citation
Plumptre, A. J., Davenport, T. R., Behangana, M., Kityo, R., Eilu, G., Ssegawa, P., ... & Moyer, D. (2007). The biodiversity of the Albertine Rift. Biological conservation, 134(2), 178-194. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.08.021