| Namibian savanna woodlands | |
|---|---|
 Savanna woodlands near Mount Erongo, Namibia | |
 map of the Namibian savanna woodlands | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Afrotropic |
| Biome | Deserts and xeric shrublands |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 225,500 km2 (87,100 sq mi) |
| Countries | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | relatively intact |
The Namibian savanna woodlands, also known as the Namib escarpment woodlands, are the deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of Namibia and Angola.
They extend north and south from southwestern Angola to central Namibia, east of the coastal Namib Desert. The woodlands cover the Namib escarpment, which rises from the low-lying Namib coastal plain to the Southern African plateau on the east. Baynes (2038 m), Erongo (2319 m), Naukluft (1974 m), Spitzkoppe (1759 m), and Gamsberg (2347 m) mountains lie along the edge of the escarpment. Brandberg Mountain (2,573 m) lies west of the escarpment in the Namib Desert, and is included in the ecoregion. [1]
To the northeast lie more humid woodland and savanna ecoregions – the Angolan miombo woodlands at the furthest northern end, and the Angolan mopane woodlands to the northeast. To the east is the arid Kalahari xeric savanna, and to the south are the low desert shrublands of the Nama Karoo.
The ecoregion has a semi-arid to arid climate. Average annual rainfall varies from 60 mm in the west to 200 mm in the east. Most rain falls as thundershowers during the October-to-March summer months. Rainfall varies from year to year, with the greatest variation in the dry west. The ecoregion lacks the moderating influence on temperature and humidity that the Benguela Current brings to the coastal deserts to the west. Summer weather can be extremely hot, with the monthly mean exceeding 40º C during the hottest summer month. Frosts are common in the winter, and monthly minimum temperatures can drop below -9º C in the colder parts of the ecoregion. [2]
The varying rainfall, topography, and soils within the ecoregion supports several plant communities. In the north and east, Mopane savanna with the trees Colophospermum mopane , Sesamothamnus benguellensis , and S. guerichii , is predominant. The semi-desert and savanna transition community supports a variety of species. In the south, open dwarf shrub savanna, with small trees scattered among shrubs, herbs, and grasses, is predominant. [1]
The ecoregion has many endemic species, particularly on the Brandberg and the Kaoko escarpment.
Large mammal herbivores in the ecoregion include the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), gemsbok (Oryx gazella), Damara dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii damarensis), and black-faced impala (Aepyceros melampus petersi). Mammal predators include the lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), bat-eared fox, (Otocyon megalotis), and Cape fox (Vulpes chama). [2]
Limited-range species and subspecies native to the ecoregion include Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae), Angolan slender mongoose (Galerella flavescens), Shortridge's rock mouse (Petromyscus shortridgei), Angolan hairy bat (Cistugo seabrae), and Namib long-eared bat (Laephotis namibensis). [2]
The Namib-Naukluft National Park lies mostly west of the ecoregion in the Namib desert, but also includes the Naukluft Mountains and portions of the western escarpment. The western portion of the Etosha National Park extends into the ecoregion.
The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 sq mi), covering much of Botswana, as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa.
At 824,292 km2 (318,261 sq mi), Namibia is the world's thirty-fourth largest country. After Mongolia, Namibia is the second least densely populated country in the world. Namibia got its name from the Namib desert that stretches along the coast of the Atlantic. It is also known for its wildlife.
The Sahara desert, as defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), includes the hyper-arid center of the Sahara, between latitudes 18° N and 30° N. It is one of several desert and xeric shrubland ecoregions that cover the northern portion of the African continent.
The Namib is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape, South Africa. The Namib's northernmost portion, which extends 450 kilometres (280 mi) from the Angola-Namibia border, is known as Moçâmedes Desert, while its southern portion approaches the neighboring Kalahari Desert. From the Atlantic coast eastward, the Namib gradually ascends in elevation, reaching up to 200 kilometres (120 mi) inland to the foot of the Great Escarpment. Annual precipitation ranges from 2 millimetres (0.079 in) in the aridest regions to 200 millimetres (7.9 in) at the escarpment, making the Namib the only true desert in southern Africa. Having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for roughly 55–80 million years, the Namib may be the oldest desert in the world and contains some of the world's driest regions, with only western South America's Atacama Desert to challenge it for age and aridity benchmarks.
The Namib-Naukluft Park is a national park in western Namibia, situated between the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the edge of the Great Escarpment. It encompasses part of the Namib Desert, the Naukluft mountain range, and the lagoon at Sandwich Harbour. The best-known area of the park and one of the main visitor attractions in Namibia is Sossusvlei, a clay pan surrounded by dunes, and Sesriem, a small canyon of the Tsauchab. The desert research station of Gobabeb is situated within the park.
The Kaokoveld Desert is a coastal desert of northern Namibia and southern Angola.
The South Saharan steppe and woodlands, also known as the South Sahara desert, is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of northern Africa. This band is a transitional region between the Sahara's very arid center to the north, and the wetter Sahelian Acacia savanna ecoregion to the south. In pre-modern times, the grasslands were grazed by migratory gazelles and other ungulates after the rainfalls. More recently, over-grazing by domestic livestock have degraded the territory. Despite the name of the ecoregion, there are few 'woodlands' in the area; those that exist are generally acacia and shrubs along rivers and in wadis.
Angolan mopane woodlands are situated in southwestern Angola, extending into northern Namibia. This ecosystem surrounds Etosha Pan, which is considered a separate ecoregion. The mopane trees are the main type of vegetation.
The Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands are an ecoregion located in Botswana, northern Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The Hobyo grasslands and shrublands is a desert and xeric scrubland ecoregion in Somalia. The ecoregion includes a belt of coastal dunes, 10 to 15 km wide, along the Indian Ocean coast, extending from north of Hobyo to south of Mogadishu.
The Zambezian and mopane woodlands is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of southeastern Africa.
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 Somali montane xeric shrublands is a desert and xeric scrubland ecoregion in Somalia. The ecoregion lies in the rugged Karkaar Mountains, which run parallel and close to Somalia's northern coast on the Gulf of Aden, and follows coast from Cape Guardafui south to Eyl on the Arabian Sea.
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 Zambezian region is a large biogeographical region in Africa. The Zambezian region includes woodlands, savannas, grasslands, and thickets, extending from east to west in a broad belt across the continent. The Zambezian region lies south of the rainforests of the Guineo-Congolian region. The Zambezian region is bounded by deserts and xeric shrublands on the southwest, the Highveld grasslands of South Africa to the south, and the subtropical Maputaland forests on the southeast.
The Red Sea coastal desert is deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of Egypt and Sudan.
The Mitchell Grass Downs is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northeastern Australia. It is a mostly treeless grassland, characterised by Mitchell grasses .
