Pugu Hills Forest Reserve

Pugu Forest Reserve is a forest reserve in Pwani Region, Tanzania. It is in the Pugu Hills area, near Dar es Salaam, adjacent to the Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve. Together with Kazimzumbwi, the Pugu Forest (previously known as Mogo Forest) is part of what is considered to be one of the oldest forests in the world. The area is characterized by a large variety of endemic species of animals and plants.

Pugu Forest Reserve
Coastal forest in Pugu hills
Map showing the location of Pugu Forest Reserve
Map showing the location of Pugu Forest Reserve
Map of Tanzania
LocationPwani Region, Tanzania
Coordinates6°53′20″S 39°05′20″E[1]
Area2,179 ha (5,380 acres)
Established1947

Location
Former houses of German kaolinite miners

The 22 km2 reserve extends over a large hilly area south-west of Dar es Salaam, the nearest populated place being Kisarawe.[2] The source of the Msimbazi river, that flows into the Indian Ocean in the surroundings of Dar, is inside the reserve. The reserve borders both the Kazimzumbwi Reserve and the Selous Game Reserve. A large fraction of its vegetation is composed of evergreen plants, as rain is common and abundant throughout most of the year. One of the largest kaolinite deposits in the world is located inside the reserve.

Environment
Former kaolinite mines now host bat colonies

The Pugu Forest has 14 endemic plant species, two mammalian endemic species, and one endemic subspecies of birds. Wildlife include , Dikdiks, common warthogs, African leopards, elephant shrews, mongooses, civets, galagos, side-striped jackals, black-backed jackals, baboons,alligators, colobuses, as well as over 80 species of birds. Lions used to live in the reserve, but none has been reported in recent times. Some natural and human-made caves host large colonies of bats, such as horseshoe bat, Tanzanian woolly bat and Hildegarde's tomb bat.

References
  1. "Pugu Forest Reserve". protectedplanet.net.
  2. Howell, K. M. (1981). "Pugu Forest Reserve: biological values and development". African Journal of Ecology. 19 (1–2): 73–81. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.1981.tb00653.x. ISSN 1365-2028.
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