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

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

, 50-100km inland.

Location and description

These inland slopes are mostly covered with grassland and savanna. The woodland once covered a much larger area but today only patches survive, mainly in deep ravines and on the higher peaks in Huambo and Cuanza Sul provinces and on the Serra da Chela in Huíla Province.

The area has a wet summer and some mist and rainfall year-round so water is fairly abundant though in the dry season obtainable in some places only by digging in the sandy beds of the rivers.

Flora

In the dry season fires are common and the dry grasses burn and are then renewed. The trees are not so vulnerable to fire. The woodland flora has similarities with other mountain ranges spread across Africa. Plants on the inland ridge include the shrubs such as Erica

Erica

Erica ,the heaths or heathers, is a genus of approximately 860 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The English common names "heath" and "heather" are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance....

's, sugarbushes (Protea

Protea

Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes.-Etymology:...

) and Cliffortias, and grasses Themeda triandra

Themeda triandra

Themeda triandra is a perennial grass widespread in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Pacific. In Australia it is commonly known as kangaroo grass, in East and South Africa it is known as "red oat grass" or red grass, in Afrikaans, rooigras.The species has a tuffted habit and can reach up to 1.5 m...

, Tristachya

Tristachya

Tristachya is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.-External links:*...

s, Hyparrhenia

Hyparrhenia

Hyparrhenia is a genus of grasses. Many species are known commonly as thatching grass. They are mostly native to tropical Africa; some can be found in warmer areas in temperate Eurasia. These are annual and perennial bunch grasses...

s, Festucas, and Monocymbium

Monocymbium

Monocymbium is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.- External links :*...

.

Fauna

The fauna includes a number of bird species unique to the highlands such as Boulton's Batis

Boulton's Batis

Margaret's Batis or Boulton's Batis is a species of bird in the Platysteiridae family. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...

 (Batis margaritae), Swierstra's Francolin

Swierstra's Francolin

The Swierstra's Francolin is a species of bird in the Phasianidae family.It is found only in Angola.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...

 (Francolinus swierstra), Angola Cave-chat

Angola Cave-chat

The Angola Cave-chat is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Its genus Xenocopsychus is monotypic.It is endemic to Angola. Its natural habitat is moist savanna, and it is somewhat rare due to habitat loss....

 (Xenocopsychus ansorgei) Grey-striped Francolin

Grey-striped Francolin

The Grey-striped Francolin is a species of bird in the Phasianidae family.It is found only in Angola.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.It is threatened by habitat...

 (Francolinus griseostriatus) and Angola Slaty Flycatcher

Angola Slaty Flycatcher

The Angola Slaty Flycatcher, Melaenornis brunneus , is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Dioptrornis instead of Melaenornis. As suggested by its common name, it is endemic to Angola....

 (Dioptrornis brunneus). Some of these species have close relatives in other forests of the continent, more indication that this woodland was once much more widespead. The hills were home to large mammals such as zebras and antelopes until recently.

Threats

The highlands are one of the most heavily populated parts of Angola so the woodland is vulnerable to clearance for logging, while some of the grassland, except where it is very swampy, is being cleared for agriculture. Furthermore the mountains have been the scene of much conflict and poverty during the Angolan Civil War

Angolan Civil War

The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...

 and as a consequence the wildlife has been little studied or protected. Towns and cities in this region include Huambo

Huambo

Huambo, formerly Nova Lisboa , is the capital of Huambo province in Angola. The city is located about 220 km E from Benguela and 600 km SE from Luanda. The city's last known population count was 225,268...

.

External links

• World Wildlife Fund report