World Heritage Identification Number: 682
World Heritage since: 1994
Category: Natural Heritage
WHE Type: Protected Areas & National Parks
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇺🇬 Uganda
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Africa
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Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: A Haven for Endangered Species
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, located in south-western Uganda, stands as a testament to the rich biodiversity that Africa harbors. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, this park spans over 32,000 hectares and serves as a sanctuary for numerous endangered species, most notably the mountain gorilla.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Located in south-western Uganda, at the junction of the plain and mountain forests, Bwindi Park covers 32,000 ha and is known for its exceptional biodiversity, with more than 160 species of trees and over 100 species of ferns. Many types of birds and butterflies can also be found there, as well as many endangered species, including the mountain gorilla.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (vii): As a key site for biodiversity on the continent, the species richness occurring in this site, recognised also under criteria (x) below, can be considered as a superlative natural phenomenon.
Criterion (x): Due to its diverse habitats ranging from 1,160 to 2,706 m in altitude, location at the intersection of the Albertine, Congo Basin and Eastern Africa ecological zones, and probable role as a Pleistocene refugium, Bwindi is the most important area in Uganda for species due to an exceptional diversity that includes many Albertine Rift endemics. This forest is believed to be a mere remnant of a very large forest which once covered much of western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The property has the highest diversity of tree species (over 200 species including 10 endemics) and ferns (some 104 species) in East Africa, and maybe the most important forest in Africa for montane forest butterflies with 202 species (84% of the country’s total), including eight Albertine endemics. The forest is very significant as a home to almost half of the population (about 340) of the critically endangered mountain gorilla. With over 347 species of forest birds recorded in the Park,at least 70 out of 78 montane forest bird species occurring in the Albertine Rift region are found in the forest, and 22 of the 36 endemics. Overall, Bwindi hosts numerous globally threatened species including high-profile mammals such as mountain gorilla, chimpanzee, l’Hoest’s monkey and African elephant; birds such as African green broadbill, Grauer’s swamp warbler, Turner’s Eremomela, Chapin’s flycatcher and Shelley’s crimson-wing; and butterflies such as African giant swallowtail and Cream-banded swallowtail.
Encyclopedia Record: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a national park in southwestern Uganda. It is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is situated along the Democratic Republic of the Congo border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the Albertine Rift. Composed of 321 km2 (124 sq mi) of both lowland and montane forest, it is accessible only on foot. It is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-designated World Heritage Site.Additional Site Details
Area: 32,092 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: -1.047 , 29.692
IUCN World Heritage Outlook
The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Bwindi Impenetrable National Park reports the following assessment:
Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment
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