The ecoregion includes montane grasslands, open woodlands, shrublands, and pockets of forest.
Geography
Potential vegetation map of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands ecoregion encompasses the dry evergreen afromontane forest and grassland complex (DAF).
Afroalpine belt (AB)
Ericaceous belt (EB)
Dry evergreen afromontane forest and grassland complex (DAF)
Moist evergreen afromontane forest (MAF)
Transitional rain forest (TRF)
Combretum-Terminalia woodland and wooded grassland (CTW)
Wooded grassland of the western Gambela region (WGG)
Acacia-Commiphora woodland and bushland proper (ACB)
Acacia wooded grassland of the Rift Valley (ACB/RV)
Desert and semi-desert scrubland (DSS)
Riverine vegetation (RV)
Freshwater lakes - open water vegetation (FLV/OW)
Freshwater marshes and swamps, floodplains and lake shore vegetation (FLV/MFS)
Salt-water lakes - open water vegetation (SLV/OW)
Salt pans, saline/brackish and intermittent wetlands and salt-lake shore vegetation (SLV/SSS)
(Adapted from Ib Friis, Sebsebe Demissew and Paulo van Breugel (2010).)
The Ethiopian Highlands lie mostly in Ethiopia, extending into Eritrea and Sudan to the north. The Great Rift Valley bisects the highlands, separating it into eastern and western portions.
The ecoregion includes the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands, between 1,000 and 3,000 meters elevation. It excludes the higher-rainfall southwestern and southeastern portions of the highlands, which constitute the separate Ethiopian montane forests ecoregion.[3]
The ecoregion extends through central Eritrea to border with Sudan, and includes two northern outliers in the Red Sea Hills of eastern Sudan, Mount Erkowit, and Gabal Elba on the border of Egypt and Sudan.
Ecoregion delineation
Former ecoregion boundaries as defined by the WWF (2001)
In the 1983 Vegetation Map of Africa, Frank White identified three vegetation types in the Ethiopian highlands – "Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket - East African" from 1000 to 1800 meters elevation, "Undifferentiated montane vegetation (A) Afromontane" from 1,800 to about 3800 meters elevation, and "Altimontane vegetation in tropical Africa" above 3,800 meters elevation.[4][5] The 2001 Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World system adopted by the World Wildlife Fund followed White's vegetation types in the Ethiopian Highlands, with the "Ethiopian montane forests" ecoregion corresponding to White's "Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket - East African", the "Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands" to the "Undifferentiated montane vegetation (A) Afromontane", and the Ethiopian montane moorlands to White's "Altimontane vegetation in tropical Africa".[6][7]
In 2017 Eric Dinerstein et al. revised the ecoregion system in the highlands, following the map of potential natural vegetation of eastern Africa developed by VECEA. The ecoregion boundary corresponds to the dry evergreen afromontane forest and grassland complex which covers most of the highlands, except for the more humid forests of the southwestern and southeastern highlands.[8][9] The revised ecoregion boundaries were adopted by One Earth,[3] and later by the WWF.[1]
Flora
The natural vegetation includes grassland, open woodlands, shrubland including thorn scrub, and areas of forest.[1]
Afromontane woodland, wooded grassland, and grassland includes both primary woodlands and secondary woodlands and wooded grasslands in disturbed areas. Acacias are the predominant trees in the primary woodlands, including Vachellia abyssinica, V. lahai, V. pilispina and V. origena, and the endemic species V. negrii, V. bavazzanoi, and Senegalia venosa. Both primary and secondary woodlands and wooded grasslands also include afromontane forest trees and shrubs. Bushland dominated by species of Maytenus and Rhus grows on slopes grazed by livestock.[5]
Kolla is an open woodland found at lower elevations, in the transition to the lowland savannas and dry woodlands. Characteristic trees are species of Terminalia, Commiphora, Boswellia, and Acacia.[10]
460 species, subspecies, and varieties of woody plants have been recorded in the ecoregion, of which 128 (28%) are endemic to the ecoregion.[5]
Much of the highlands have been densely populated for centuries, and the vegetation has been much altered by fire, livestock grazing, conversion to agriculture, and overharvesting firewood and timber. Much of the original woodland and forest is now replaced with grassland and shrubland. In other areas plantations of exotic trees have replaced native plant communities.[1] Ethiopian highland agriculture developed on the ecoregion's fertile basalt-derived black soils.[5]
Fauna
Several bird and mammal species are near-endemic, dwelling in both the montane grasslands and woodlands and the high-elevation Ethiopian montane moorlands. These include the mammals walia ibex (Capra walie), mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni), and gelada baboon (Theropithecus gelada). The Bale Mountains vervet (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) is limited to the upper montane belt of the Harenna Forest and other nearby forests in the southern highlands. Its diet consists mostly of Oldeania alpina bamboo shoots.[11]
The Madagascar subhumid forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion that covers most of the Central Highlands of the island of Madagascar. They are included in the WWF's Global 200 list of outstanding ecoregions. Most of the original habitats have been lost due to human pressure.
The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 m (4,900 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 m (14,930 ft). It is sometimes called the "Roof of Africa" due to its height and large area. It is the only country in the region with such a high elevated surface. This elevated surface is bisected diagonally by the Great East African Rift System which extends from Syria to Mozambique across the East African Lakes. Most of the Ethiopian Highlands are part of central and northern Ethiopia, and its northernmost portion reaches into Eritrea.
The Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets is one of the ecoregions of South Africa. It consists of the montane shrubland biome.
The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions of Africa are discontinuous, separated from each other by lower-lying areas, and are sometimes referred to as the Afromontane archipelago, as their distribution is analogous to a series of sky islands.
The Coastal forests of eastern Africa, also known as the East African Coastal Forests or Zanzibar–Inhambane forests, is a tropical moist forest region along the east coast of Africa. The region was designated a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International.
The Cameroonian Highlands forests, also known as the Cameroon Highlands forests, are a montane tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion located on the range of mountains that runs inland from the Gulf of Guinea and forms the border between Cameroon and Nigeria. This is an area of forest and grassland which has become more populous as land is cleared for agriculture.
The South Malawi montane forest–grassland mosaic is an ecoregion of Malawi.
The Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic, also known as the Southern Swahili coastal forests and woodlands, is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. It is a southern variation of Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic. The ecoregion supports habitats of forest, savanna and swamps. The southern portion of the ecoregion is not as well studied due to the 1977-1992 civil war in Mozambique.
The Sanetti Plateau is a major plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands, in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. The plateau is the highest part of the Bale Mountains, and is located within Bale Mountains National Park.
The Ethiopian montane moorlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Ethiopia. It lies above 3,000 meters elevation in the Ethiopian Highlands, the largest Afroalpine region in Africa. The montane moorlands lie above the tree line, and consist of grassland and moorland with abundant herbs and shrubs adapted to the high elevation conditions.
The East African montane forests is a montane tropical moist forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. The ecoregion comprises several separate areas above 2000 meters in the mountains of South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The East African montane moorlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion which occupies several high mountain peaks in Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic, also known as the Northern Swahili coastal forests and woodlands, is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of coastal East Africa. The ecoregion includes a variety of habitats, including forest, savanna and swamps.
The Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of the Rwenzori Mountains and Virunga Mountains in central Africa.
The Ethiopian montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in Ethiopia. It covers the southwestern and southeastern portions of the Ethiopian Highlands. The ecoregion includes distinctive Afromontane evergreen forests. The ecoregion's biodiversity is threatened by deforestation, conversion to agriculture, and overgrazing.
The Chimanimani Mountains are a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The mountains are in the southern portion of the Eastern Highlands, or Manica Highlands, a belt of highlands that extend north and south along the international border, between the Zambezi and Save rivers.
The Somali Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets is a semi-arid tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in the Horn of Africa. It is home to diverse communities of plants and animals, including several endemic species.
The Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna, also known as the Southwestern Arabian Escarpment shrublands and woodlands, is a desert and xeric shrubland ecoregion of the southern Arabian Peninsula, covering portions of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman.
The Victoria Basin forest–grassland mosaic is an ecoregion that lies mostly in Uganda and extends into neighboring countries. The ecoregion is centered north and west of Lake Victoria, with an outlier on the border of Ethiopia and South Sudan.
1 2 Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
↑ White, F (1983). The vegetation of Africa: A descriptive memoir to accompany the UNESCO/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa. Natural Resources Research. Vol.20. Paris, France: UNESCO.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ib Friis, Sebsebe Demissew, and Paulo van Breugel (2010) Atlas of the Potential Vegetation of Ethiopia. The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, Copenhagen, Denmark
↑ Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, Anup Joshi, Carly Vynne, Neil D. Burgess, Eric Wikramanayake, Nathan Hahn, Suzanne Palminteri, Prashant Hedao, Reed Noss, Matt Hansen, Harvey Locke, Erle C Ellis, Benjamin Jones, Charles Victor Barber, Randy Hayes, Cyril Kormos, Vance Martin, Eileen Crist, Wes Sechrest, Lori Price, Jonathan E. M. Baillie, Don Weeden, Kierán Suckling, Crystal Davis, Nigel Sizer, Rebecca Moore, David Thau, Tanya Birch, Peter Potapov, Svetlana Turubanova, Alexandra Tyukavina, Nadia de Souza, Lilian Pintea, José C. Brito, Othman A. Llewellyn, Anthony G. Miller, Annette Patzelt, Shahina A. Ghazanfar, Jonathan Timberlake, Heinz Klöser, Yara Shennan-Farpón, Roeland Kindt, Jens-Peter Barnekow Lillesø, Paulo van Breugel, Lars Graudal, Maianna Voge, Khalaf F. Al-Shammari, Muhammad Saleem, An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545, .
↑ Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545,
↑ Lillesø J-PB, et al. 2011. Potential Natural Vegetation of Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia): Volume 1: The Atlas. Forest & Landscape Working Paper No 61/2011, University of Copenhagen.
↑ Mekonnen, A., Fashing, P.J., Bekele, A. et al. Dietary flexibility of Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) in southern Ethiopia: effects of habitat degradation and life in fragments. BMC Ecol 18, 4 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-018-0161-4
↑ "Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 7 March 2022.
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