BIOGEOGHAPHIA — vol. XIV ~ 1988 (Pubblicato II 31 dicembre 1990) The Biogeography of Somalia Mammals of the riverine forests of the Jubba Valley N. VARTY Somzzlicz Resemr/J Project, Ecology and Cozzserzm/fz'oz7 Unit, U/zz'versz'ty College Lomlo/2, Gower Street, Lo/zzlolz W/CZE GBT, UK. Prerem‘ czclclrery Ivzter/mtiomzl Council for Bird Preserwztz'oI7, 32 Czziizbrzklge Road, Girto/1, Ca/72brz'clge, CB3 OP] UK. SUMMARY A study of the mammal community of the Jubba forests and an assessment of the threats to their populations were made between July and September 1986. Records \vere kept of all sightings and spoors of the larger species; smaller species were captured using traps and bats were caught using mist nets. Captures were weighed, measured and their reporductive status noted. Local villagers were questioned about the species of mammal they encountered in the forests, their hunting practices and the seasonal movements of mammals in the Jubba Valley. Thirty-two species of mammal were recorded in the forests. Several of the species recorded are rare or have a limited distribution within Somalia such as Nycterir par[s[z', Cermpir/Jec//_v /1///is and Pa/It/Jam pmzlm, and two species of bat P1‘p1'.w‘rellz/5 eireiztraz/ti and Scotaeu/3 albigz/la were new records for Somalia These forests also provide an important habitat for several other species whose populations in Somalia have declined in recent years and for species which use the forest seasonally. Local hunters kill mostly waterbuck Kabul ellip:z'pry//2/2;/s, bushbuck Tragelaplaz/_v scrz'p1‘z/r and red forest cluilcer Cap/Jalop/Jzzr mzralezzm in the forests. Hunting is most intense during the dry seasons, when bushland species move into the riverine habitats. The remaining forest along the Jubba probably still contains all of the typical mammal species. Unfortunately, forest clearance and hunting is continuing. A proposed dam at Baardheere and a campaign to eradicate tsetse-fly from the Jubba forests pose further threats to the forest mammals. Unless urgent action is taken to propoerly safeguard these forests and adjacent areas the loss of the riverine forest mammal community from Somalia seems inevitable. INTRODUCTION The Somali Democratic Republic once possessed large areas of riverine forest along the Jubba and Shabeelle rivers in the south of the country (Pi- chi—Sermolli, 1957). However, these forests have been largely destroyed or seriously degraded over the last 50 years through clearance for agriculture and overexploitation for timber, fuelwood and fodder. Those along the Sha- beelle have been almost completely destroyed and the largest remaining areas of riverine forest in Somalia now occur in the Middle Jubba, between Bu’aale and Jilib (Madgwick et al., 1988). The national importance of the Jubba forests has long been recognised. Calls for their protection were first made over 20 years ago (Funaioli and Simonetta, 1966) and have been repeated several times since (Abel and Kille, 1975; Simonetta and Simonetta, 1983; Madgwick et al., 1986, 1988). Howev- er, there has been insufficient knowledge of the ecology of these forests to 515