National Parks in Burundi

The Kibira National Park Overlaps 4 provinces and sits on 400 Square Kilometers of space. It extends north from Muramvya town to the Rwanda border where it joins Nyungwe National Park. Rough estimates are that 16% of the park is covered by primary montane rainforest, and is adjacent to two large tea plantations, one in Teza and the other one located in Rwegura. Dominant tree species include Symphonia globulifera, Newtonia buchananiiAlbizia gummifera and Entandrophragma excelsum.Kibira is has a number of primate species, including chimpanzees and black and white colobus monkeys, and boasts over 250 species of birds, including the majestic Great Blue Turaco. The park is managed by the Institut National pour l’Environnement et la Conservation de la Nature (INECN).
History.
Until 1933, this forest was a hunting reserve of the Kings of Burundi. The local people believed that it had spiritual powers.The sacred character of the forest, even prior to the colonial era, helped conserve it. Between 1933 and 1980 Kibira was named Congo-Nile Ridge Forest Reserve, first under Belgian rule, then after Burundian Independence in July 1962,it went to the government of Burundi.
Rusizi National Park,next to the Rusizi River.It is 15 km north of the city of Bujumbura and home to hippopotamuses and sitatungas.
Ruvubu National Park is the largest national park in Burundi covering 508km2

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