Nyabarongo River

Nyabarongo River Wetlands
Map of Rwanda, showing location of Nyabarongo River.

The Nyabarongo is a major river in Rwanda, part of the upper headwaters of the Nile. The river begins in Nyungwe Forest, at a location considered by some to be the most distant source of the Nile. From this rouce it follows a course up to the north-western part of the country, then down through the centre to the south-east, eventually forming the main tributary of the Kagera River, which flows into Lake Victoria.[1]

Course

The Nyabarongo begins as a confluence of a number of streams in southwestern Rwanda. The longest of these streams is the Rukarara, which begins at a spring in Nyungwe Forest, a few kilometres south of the town of Gisovu.[2] The source of the Rukarara is a contender for the as-yet undetermined overall source of the entire Nile, its most distant headwater.[3] From its source, the Rukarara flows south and then east, merging with and becoming the Mwogo River. The Mwogo flows north, merging with the Mbrirurume between the Bwakira and Masango. From this confluence, the river assumes the name Nyabarongo.[2]

Wetlands

The Nyabarongo River Wetlands is an unprotected area surrounding the course of the Nyabarongo,[4] and covering 142.62 kmĀ². It is of great importance for biodiversity conservation, especially birds, with species such as the endangered Madagascar Pond heron Aldeora idae, the Near-threatened Papyrus Gonolek Laniarius mufumbiri, the Vulnerable Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum, and the Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekii.[5] The wetlands are under serious pressure from agriculture.[6]

The following species in the Nyabarongo River Wetlands are red-listed as endangered: Papyrus Gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri), Carruthers's Cisticola (Cisticola carruthersi), White-winged Scrub-warbler (Bradypterus carpalis), Papyrus Yellow Warbler (Chloropeta gracilirostris), Sharpe's Pied-babbler (Turdoides sharpei), Northern Brown-throated Weaver (Ploceus castanops), White-collared Oliveback (Nesocharis ansorgei), and Papyrus Canary (Serinus koliensis)[7].