Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Bombo–Lumene Game Reserve is situated on the Batéké plateau (650–700 m) and consists of a gently undulating forest-savanna mosaic dominated by grassland and wooded savanna, interspersed with gallery forest. The site lies south of the main Kinshasa–Kenge road, between the Muti-Mutiene and Bombo rivers in the west and the Lufimi river in the east. Several villages are situated at the periphery of and even within the reserve, resulting in a large part of it being used for agricultural and pastoral activities. Average annual rainfall is c.1,500 mm. There is a dry season of from three to four months centred around June–July.
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. The site is the only protected area where
Cossypha heinrichi occurs. It is also the only site in the country where
Ploceus nigrimentum has been recorded. In addition, two species of the Zambezian biome have been recorded (see Table 3).
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals of global conservation concern include Tragelaphus spekii (LR/nt).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The area was first protected in the 1930s. In 1968 it was established as a Game Reserve while in 1976 a Fauna and Forest Reserve was established within its borders. ICCN is charged with the management of the site, but understaffing and the lack of equipment, especially vehicles, seriously reduces the effectiveness of the local team of guards and most activities within the reserve are beyond their control. Part of the reserve is run under concession by the Hans Seidel Foundation, a German NGO which attempts to rehabilitate young delinquents. The site is visited at weekends by a small number of tourists from the capital. There is a real tourism potential, but this remains undeveloped. Poaching and deforestation (for charcoal) are rampant due to the proximity of and relatively easy access from Kinshasa, 130 km away.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bombo-Lumene Game Reserve (Congo, The Democratic Republic of the). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bombo-lumene-game-reserve-iba-congo-the-democratic-republic-of-the on 22/11/2024.
