Protected Area
Protected Area
Published on
2020 Apr 01Bururi Forest Nature Reserve
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Covering an area of 3300 ha, the Bururi Forest Nature Reserve is located entirely in the commune of Bururi, in the north-west of the capital of Bururi province, on a mountain range that overlooks the urban center of Bururi. The terrain has steep slopes reaching more than 100% in some places. The altitude is between 1800 and 2300 m. In addition to its hydrographic importance, the Bururi forest remains an economic, scientific and tourist potential of great value. The Bururi Forest Nature Reserve is, like the Kibira Forest, a tropical mountain rainforest rich in species of flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to the Albertine Rift Region. From a floristic point of view, this forest is not homogeneous. It consists of three main types of forest according to their structure: a dense forest with low ceilings, a similar forest with tall trees emerging, and a very sparse forest with lush herbaceous vegetation below. |
The most characteristic species are Entandrophragma excelsum, Chrysophyllum gorungosanum, Symphonia globulifera, Albizzia gummifera, Strombosia scheffleri... This forest is a natural laboratory for scientific research. Many species are at the edge of their usual geographic habitat; this makes them very interesting in terms of finding their limits of tolerance. This forest is also the habitat of several endangered species in the region, including Entandrophragma excelsum (Umuyove), an emerging tree that grows up to 65 m in height, and Zanthoxylum gilletii (Intareyirungu), a medicinal plant highly sought after by healers.
| At the wildlife level, primates are the most characteristic mammals of this forest. The flagship species is the common chimpanzee “Pan troglodytes”. Because of its isolation from other similar forests, research into the speciation process can also be fruitful, especially with insects, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and birds. |  |
