Burundi

Burundi is an East-Central African country south of the Equator. The landlocked country is a historic kingdom, one of the few African countries whose borders were not defined by colonial rulers. It lies in the Great Rift Valley, at the junction of the African Great Lakes region and East Africa. The Lake Tanganyika is located along its southwestern border. The small country is home to 2950 plant species, 596 bird species, 163 mammal species, 52 reptile species, 56 amphibian species and 215 fish species. Wildlife has declined drastically in recent years, mainly due to strong population pressure, massive conversion of large forest areas into agricultural land and intensive livestock farming. The protected area covers just over 5% of the country's total land area. Of the four subspecies of African Buffalo, the West African savanna subspecies is found in Burundi and now numbers only around 500. The Waterbuck was found all over Burundi in the grasslands of the savannah and then restricted to the Ruvibu National Park, and the Grey Duiker is abundant in the eastern and southern savannas despite extensive hunting. Of the 596 bird species in the country, 439 are resident and 109 are seasonal migrants. There is no endemic bird species in the country. The vegetation is dominated by East African evergreen bushland and secondary grasslands, and Afromontane vegetation, including transitional rainforests in the western mountainous region. Many species of wild flora in the high mountains are considered endemic, some 70 species.