Angolan miombo woodlands


Angolan miombo woodlands cover most of central Angola and extend into the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are part of the larger miombo ecosystem that covers much of eastern and southern Africa.

Location and description

This area of savanna and woodland covers an area of plateau and gentle hills in central Angola, in the Cubango-Zambezi Basin which drains into the Zambezi River to the east. The area lies east of the range of hills that parallel the Atlantic coast and north of the Kalahari Desert reaching up as far as the rainforests of the Congo.
It has a tropical climate, wetter than the surrounding savanna, with most of the rain falling in the hotter summer months.

Flora

The flora is moist deciduous broadleaf savanna and woodland. Between these areas is open grassland. Three species of tree dominate miombo woodland: Brachystegia, Julbernardia, and Isoberlinia. Under the trees there is a rich variety of other flora while the grassland areas in the region lie on sandy soil. One particular feature of miombo woodland is its vulnerability to fire, as the area is dry most of the year round.

Fauna

inhabiting the area include a number of bird species and mammals including the giant sable antelope. Endemic mammals include Vernay's climbing mouse. Large mammals include giraffe, bushbuck, blue duiker and yellow-backed duiker in the thickly wooded areas and giraffe, sitatunga and waterbuck in the wetter areas, with tsessebe in the grasslands.
Other large mammals found in the ecoregion include hippopotamus, zebra, and their predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, side-striped jackal and spotted hyaena as well as smaller carnivores such as African wild cat, serval, caracal and, appropriately the Angolan genet. Before the Angolan Civil War in the 1970s the area was home to large populations of elephants and black rhinoceros but these have almost completely been removed, mainly by poachers.
The only known endemic bird species is the black-tailed cisticola although there is a fairly rich selection of bird life. Following rains the following can be found in the wetlands: greater swamp-warbler, African yellow warbler, chirping cisticola, Bocage's weaver, saddle-billed stork, marabou stork, Goliath heron, and wattled crane.
Amphibians are less common. They include two endemic frog species, Hildebrandtia ornatissima and Leptopelis anchietae, plus one that is found almost entirely in this region, Hyperolius vilhenai.
Finally, in miombo woodland the many termites and caterpillars play an important role in clearing leaves.

Urban areas and settlements

Towns and cities in the region include Kuito, Menongue and Luena, all areas that saw much conflict during the 1975-2002 Angolan Civil War.

Threats and protected areas

The intense and long-lasting Angolan Civil War from 1975 to 2002 caused immense damage to this environment, leaving the forests exposed to poaching and uncontrolled clearance, and conservation has became a low priority for the government. The conflict also prevented be proper study of the region by scientists. However the woodland is not threatened by clearance for agriculture or logging as along with the effects of war there are other factors keeping the population of the region to a minimum; the sandy soil does not sustain agriculture, and the woods and grassland are rife with tsetse fly. Some forest is being cleared on the edge of towns or for strip-mining.
There are a number of Angolan national parks in the region. Some had to be abandoned at various times during the civil war due to fighting.
Protected areas in the ecoregion include: