The Victoria Basin forest-savanna mosaic rings the shores of Lake Victoria in the upper Nile basin, covering south-central Uganda and eastern Rwanda and reaching into Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya at elevations roughly between 800 and 1,500 meters. It is a patchwork of savanna and woodland interspersed with semi-evergreen and transitional forest, with extensive Cyperus papyrus swamps filling the river lowlands and Combretum wooded grasslands on drier ground; characteristic forest trees include mvule (Milicia excelsa), Celtis species, mahoganies (Entandrophragma), and the fast-growing umbrella tree (Maesopsis eminii). The climate is a humid tropical one, with mean maximum temperatures of about 24 to 27 degrees Celsius, minimums near 15 to 18 degrees, and two rainy seasons spanning roughly March to May and August to November. Its forests are exceptionally rich in wildlife, and Kibale is described as one of the most primate-rich forests in Africa, supporting twelve primate species, while the papyrus swamps shelter endemic birds such as the papyrus canary and Fox's weaver; conservation status is rated critical, with reserves including Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks. Gardeners may recognize native trees of horticultural interest here, including the waterberry Syzygium guineense and Prunus africana.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 0.4°S, 31.2°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
12b-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13a-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +4.2°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
About the tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands biome
Warm grasslands and savannas where grasses dominate and trees are scattered, maintained by seasonal rainfall, grazing, and fire. They support large herbivore communities and respond sharply to wet–dry cycles.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Currently suited · 4
These plants fit the ecoregion as it is today, but the mid-century projection moves them outside their stated zone range — plan for them to struggle by 2070.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands ecoregions to explore: