Area 248.4 km² | Nearest city Bukoba | |
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Location Kagera Region, Tanzania | ||
The Minziro (Nature) Forest Reserve is a 24,841 ha conservation area in the Bukoba district of northwestern Tanzania. It protects one of the largest forests in Tanzania, of a forest type that is unique in the country. It was gazetted in 1947 and is situated at around 1,150 metres a.s.l. in fairly level terrain. The forest is continuous with the Malabigambo Forest over the nearby Uganda border. The largest part consists of Baikiaea–Podocarpus seasonal swamp forest while the remainder is flooded acacia woodlands.
Wildlife
It is similar to forests found in the Congo and Guinea, and consequently it contains flora and fauna that reach their eastern range limits here. 58 of the 245 bird species recorded in the reserve are not found outside Kagera in Tanzania, while 56 of these have only been seen in Minziro. In addition, more than 600 butterfly species are native here, surpassing any other forest in Africa. It was formerly extensively logged for the valuable Podocarpus trees, that are now scarce, with only small specimens remaining. Illegal logging is ongoing.