Rubondo Island National Park: Overlooked World’s Largest Tropical Lake Island Protected Area in Tanzania
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Rubondo Island National Park in Tanzania is a biodiverse conservation area situated within the complex Lake Victoria Regional Mosaic. While other islands have been modified by human activities, Rubondo Island remains a unique model for island conservation, characterized by diverse ecosystems and endangered species like chimpanzees. This makes it an ideal location for research on wildlife behaviour, species conservation, and human-wildlife coexistence. However, little effort has been made to explore the research potential of this island, and it is underrepresented in conservation literature. Existing studies are limited in scope, often focusing on specific species or isolated ecological features, without providing a comprehensive understanding of the island’s biodiversity, ecosystem dynamics, and broader conservation value on regional and global scales. This review addresses this gap by undertaking a comparison analysis of lake island sizes and synthesizing available research. Literature on Rubondo Island was searched in academic databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus using relevant and specific keywords related to Rubondo Island and its biodiversity. Among the world's lake islands, Rubondo is distinguished as the largest fully protected tropical lake island, free from human habitation or consumptive activities. The island hosts key native species such as sitatunga antelopes (Tragelaphus spekii), bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), vervet (Cercopithecus aethiops), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious), spotted-necked otter (Hydrictis maculicollis), African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis), and marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), avian, amphibians and reptiles such as crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). Some of the introduced species, including elephant (Loxodonta africana), giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), colobus monkey (Colobus guereza), suni antelope (Neotragus moschatus), have been successfully integrated into the ecosystem. The island is an Important Bird Area (IBA), hosting over 194 bird species, and is home to 19 reptiles and 11 amphibian species, contributing to ecosystem balance. Its primary lowland Congolese forest is the only intact remnant of this forest type in the Lake Victoria and western Tanzania region. Rubondo also protects vital fish breeding grounds critical for sustaining native and endangered fish populations. Historically inhabited by the Banyarubondo subgroup of the Zinza people, the island retains cultural and spiritual landmarks that warrant preservation. Future research should focus on chimpanzee behaviour, elephant ecosystem roles, avian and fish species updates, vegetation surveys, herpetofauna diversity, and crocodile adaptations to environmental changes
Authors: Imani A Kikoti, Robert F. Mushi
Institution: Tanzania National Parks
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4407978984