Ethiopian montane moorlands | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Realm | Afrotropical |
Biome | montane grasslands and shrublands |
Borders | Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands |
Geography | |
Area | 25,209 km2 (9,733 sq mi) |
Country | Ethiopia |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | vulnerable [1] |
Protected | 41.26% [2] |
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 ecoregion occupies an area of 25,209 square kilometers (9,733 sq mi).
The ecoregion covers areas above 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) elevation, extending up to 4,550 meters on Ras Dashen, the highest peak in the Ethiopian Highlands. Below the montane moorlands is the Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands ecoregion. [3]
The Sanetti Plateau in the Bale Mountains is the largest single area of moorland.
The ecoregion has a montane tropical climate. Rainfall varies across the ecoregion – as high as 2,500 mm in the southwest, and as little as 1,000 mm in the north. There is an annual dry season, which can last for only two months in the southwest and up to ten 10 months in the north. Frosts are common throughout the year, especially in the November-to-March winter months. [1]
The main vegetation plant communities are moorland, grassland, and herb meadow. The moorland is characterized by shrubs from a half-meter to a meter high, including tree heath (Erica arborea), Erica trimera , and other shrubs. The giant lobelia Lobelia rhynchopetalum can reach up to 6 meters when flowering. Herbs and grasses grow between the shrubs, including species of Helichrysum, Alchemilla , and Cerastium , and the grasses Festuca spp. and Aira spp. The sedge Carex monostachya is common in wet areas. [1]
Six Afro-alpine plant communities occur in the Guassa Community Conservation Area of the northern Highlands – Festuca grassland, Euryops-Alchemilla shrubland, Mima mound (Euryops-Festuca grassland), Erica moorland, Helichrysum-Festuca grassland, and swamp grassland. Guassa is the local name for four species of native Festuca bunchgrasses which are valued by local communities for thatching and rope- and basket-making. [4]
The endangered Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) is endemic to the ecoregion. It lives in open moorlands where it hunts rodents. There are two subspecies – a northern subspecies, C. s. simensis, which lives north of the Rift Valley, and the southeastern subspecies, C. s. citernii, which lives in Bale Mountains National Park and surrounding areas. [1]
Of the 14 rodent species endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands, six are endemic to the montane moorlands ecoregion. [4] These include the Ethiopian mole-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), Nikolaus' mouse (Megadendromus nikolausi), Ethiopian narrow-headed rat (Stenocephalemys albocaudata), gray-tailed narrow-headed rat (Stenocephalemys griseicauda), and black-clawed brush-furred rat (Lophuromys melanonyx). [1]
41.26% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas in the ecoregion include Simien Mountains National Park, Bale Mountains National Park, Arsi Mountains National Park, and Chebera Churchura National Park. [2]
The Ethiopian wolf, also called the red jackal, the Simien jackal or Simien fox, is a canine native to the Ethiopian Highlands. In southeastern Ethiopia, it is also known as the horse jackal. It is similar to the coyote in size and build, and is distinguished by its long and narrow skull, and its red and white fur. Unlike most large canids, which are widespread, generalist feeders, the Ethiopian wolf is a highly specialised feeder of Afroalpine rodents with very specific habitat requirements. It is one of the world's rarest canids, and Africa's most endangered carnivore.
The Madagascar ericoid thickets is a montane shrubland ecoregion, found at higher altitudes on Madagascar's four major mountains.
Simien Mountains National Park is the largest national park in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, its territory covers the highest parts of the Simien Mountains and includes Ras Dashan, the highest point in Ethiopia.
Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) is a national park in Ethiopia. The park encompasses an area of approximately 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) in the Bale Mountains and Sanetti Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands.
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 Northeastern 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 Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands is a xeric woodland ecoregion in the southwestern Arabian Peninsula.
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 Ethiopian highland hare or Starck's hare is a medium-sized species of mammal in the rabbit and hare family, Leporidae. Its dorsal pelage is grizzled, buff white and spotted and streaked with black, while its belly fur is pure white and fluffy. It is endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands, ranging over the Afroalpine regions of the Shoa, Bale, and Arsi Provinces of Ethiopia. A herbivore, it mostly feeds on moorland grasses. The IUCN rates it as a species of least concern.
The Harenna Forest is a montane tropical evergreen forest in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains. The forest covers the southern slope of the mountains, extending from 1450 to 3200 meters elevation. The Bale Mountains are in Ethiopia's Oromia Region, and form the southwestern portion of the Ethiopian Highlands.
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 Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic ecoregion is located on the east-facing inland side of the belt of mountains that stands parallel to the coast of Angola, 50–100 km inland.
The Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Ethiopia. It occupies the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands, between the high-altitude Ethiopian montane moorlands and the lower-elevation Ethiopian montane forests.
The Central Range sub-alpine grasslands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion on the island of New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the highest-elevation portions of the New Guinea Highlands, which extend along the spine of the island. The high elevations support rare tropical sub-alpine and alpine habitats, including many endemic plants and animals.
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.
The Guassa Community Conservation Area (GCCA) is a protected area in central Ethiopia. It is one of the oldest known common property resource management in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been the focus of an indigenous natural resource management institution, known as “Qero,” system for over 400 years It is located 80 km off the main highway, and is home to numerous endemic birds and wildlife species, including the iconic Ethiopian wolf and the Ethiopian gelada. The high altitude Afro-alpine Festuca grassland, or ‘Guassa” grass gives the area its name.
The Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of the Rwenzori Mountains and Virunga Mountains in central Africa.
The Central American montane forests are an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund, located in mountains of Central America.
The Ethiopian montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in eastern Africa. It covers the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands in Ethiopia and extends into neighboring Eritrea, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somaliland. The ecoregion includes distinctive Afromontane forests, woodlands, grasslands, and shrublands. The ecoregion's biodiversity is threatened by deforestation, conversion to agriculture, and overgrazing.
The Eastern Anatolian montane steppe is a temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion. It is located in the Armenian Highlands, covering parts of eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, southern Georgia, and northwestern Iran.
Arsi Mountains National Park is a national park in Arsi Zone of Oromia Region in Ethiopia. It protects a portion of the Ethiopian Highlands, and includes montane forests, subalpine heath, and alpine grasslands and shrublands. The park was designated in 2011, and covers an area of 10876 km2.