UNP confirmed as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot

The Upemba National Park is an African fish biodiversity hotspot with close to 20% of Congo Basin’s fish diversity concludes the latest annotated checklist of the ichthyofauna of the park, published in the Switzerland based MDPI's Diversity Journal on August 26, 2023. 

The academic article titled “The Upemba National Park (Upper Congo Basin, DR Congo): An Updated Checklist Confirming Its Status as an African Fish Biodiversity Hotspot” was authored by Dr. Bauchet Katemo Manda (University of Lubumbashi) and 9 scientists. Conclusions and findings were based on literature review, re-examination of museum collections, and a study of recent collections (2012–2020).

The research reports a total of 247 native and 1 introduced species, Heterotis niloticus. In details, the native species belong to 78 genera, 26 families, and 15 orders. Of these, 45 species (18%) are endemic to the park, 35 species (14%) await formal description, and 5 taxa (2%) need further study to clarify their status. With 51 species, the Cyprinidae is by far the most species-rich family, followed by the Mormyridae (26), Mochokidae (26), Alestidae (18), Distichodontidae (18), Amphiliidae (17), and Cichlidae (16). The remaining families are represented by less than 15 species. 

In terms of impact, three major things must be noted: (1) it provides an updated list of fish species in Upemba, (2) it's a detailed study on the altitudinal repartition of species with an emphasis on the role played by waterfalls in affecting migrations, and (3) it documents threats and suggests conservation formulas to better preserve Upemba's ichthyofauna in the long-term. 

With the 247 native species, the research concludes that UNP species diversity has been underestimated with previously only 116 known fish species. It also affirms the status of UNP as a Key Biodiversity Area and one of the highest priority freshwater conservation areas in the Congo Basin.