Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA consists of Lake Nabugabo (c.3,500 ha), a shallow freshwater lake of c.8 km by 5 km, and extensive swamps and small forests to the north, east and south, where Sango Bay (IBA UG013) adjoins. Three much smaller satellite lakes, Birinzi (formerly Kayanja), Manywa and Kayugi are located to the north-west at a slightly higher altitude. Nabugabo is separated from Lake Victoria by an arm of the Lwamunda swamp and a sandbar. Large plants such as
Loudetia dominate, but
Miscanthus and
Vossia, as well as S
phagnum bogs, are also present. Papyrus occurs, but does not dominate any part of the swamp. There is a belt of depleted tropical forest along much of the western shore, and sandy shores along the windward, north-western shoreline. Similar forests exist along the eastern sandbank, some of which are gazetted Forest Reserves. The lakes have been isolated from Lake Victoria for about 3,700 years, during which time the cichlid fauna has undergone speciation. Lake Nabugabo is a popular resort, especially at weekends and public holidays.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. A complete species list for the birds of Nabugabo is not available yet, but over 180 species have been recorded. The scarce
Serinus koliensis is among the species of the Lake Victoria Basin biome that are present. Two additional species of global conservation concern,
Gallinago media and
Circus macrourus, were recorded in December 2000 on seasonally flooded grassland.
Hylia prasina and
Alcedo quadribrachys occur in the forested areas close to the lake.
Non-bird biodiversity: Nine species of indigenous fish of the family Cichlidae have been recorded from the lakes, including five endemic species of Haplochromis. The introduction of the non-native fish Oreochromis niloticus, O. leucosticus and Tilapia zillii in the 1950s and Lates niloticus in the early 1960s in both Lakes Victoria and Nabugabo has impacted negatively on the indigenous fish, which may now only remain in the satellite lakes.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Expanding tourism developments along the north end of the western shore, burning of the swamp and overfishing are all potential threats to this IBA. Land-use of the catchment is mainly rough grazing, and there are areas of mature, but degraded, forest and woodland. Small areas are under subsistence farming, especially to the west and north-west of the lake. The site has been proposed as a Ramsar Site and the District has already endorsed this proposal which is now being considered at national level. A dairy farm is being established along the eastern side of Lake Manywa. Local people recognize spiritual attributes of all the three satellite lakes and this will serve as a temporary protection for them.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Nabugabo wetland (Uganda). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/nabugabo-wetland-iba-uganda on 22/11/2024.
