Angolan Miombo woodlands
Encyclopedia
Angolan Miombo woodlands cover most of central Angola and extend into the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is part of the larger miombo
ecosystem that covers much of eastern and southern Africa.
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 (November-March).
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 as dry most of the year round.
inhabiting the area include a number of bird species and mammals including the Giant Sable Antelope
. Endemic mammals include Vernay's Climbing Mouse
(Dendromus vernayi). Large mammals include Giraffe
(in the wetter areas), Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), Blue duiker
(Cephalophus monticola) and Yellow-backed Duiker
(C. silvicultor) in the thickly wooded areas and giraffe
, Sitatunga
(Tragelaphus spekei) and waterbuck
(Kobus ellipsiprymnus) in the wetter areas, with Tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus) in the grasslands.
Other large mammals found in the ecoregion include hippopotamus
(Hippopotamus amphibius), zebra
(Equus burchellii), and their predators such as lion
(Panthera leo), leopard
(P. pardus), cheetah
(Acinonyx jubatus), African wild dog
(Lycaon pictus), Side-striped jackal
(Canis adustus) and spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) as well as smaller carnivores such as wild cat
(Felis sylvestris), Serval
(F. serval), caracal
(F. caracal) and, appropriately the Angolan Genet
(Genetta angolensis). Before the Angolan Civil War
in the 1970s the area was home to large populations of elephant
s and black rhinoceros
but these have almost completely been removed, mainly by poachers.
The only known endemic bird species is the Black-tailed Cisticola
(Cisticola melanura) although there is a fairly rich selection of bird life. Following rains the following can be found in the wetlands: Greater Swamp-warbler
(Acrocephalus rufescens), Yellow Flycatcher-warbler
(Chloropeta natalensis), Chirping Cisticola
(Cisticola pipiens), Bocage's Weaver
(Ploceus temporalis), saddle-billed stork
(Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis), Marabou Stork
(Leptoptilos crumeniferus), Goliath heron
(Ardea goliath), and wattled crane
(Bugeranus carunculatus).
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.
, Menongue
and Luena
all areas that saw much conflict during the 1975-2002 Angolan Civil War
.
. Some forest is being cleared on the edge of towns or for strip-mining.
There are a number of Angolan national parks in the area, but these have had to be abandoned at various periods due to the fighting. One of these in particular Cangandala National Park
is an important haven for the Giant Sable Antelope.
Miombo
Miombo is the Swahili word for Brachystegia, a genus of tree comprising a large number of species. Miombo woodland is classified in the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome...
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 DesertKalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa extending , covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa, as semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains. The Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert...
reaching up as far as the rainforests of the Congo.
It has a tropical climate
Tropical climate
A tropical climate is a climate of the tropics. In the Köppen climate classification it is a non-arid climate in which all twelve months have mean temperatures above...
, wetter than the surrounding savanna, with most of the rain falling in the hotter summer months (November-March).
Flora
The floraFlora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
is moist deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
broadleaf savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
and woodland. Between these areas is open grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
. Three species of tree dominate miombo
Miombo
Miombo is the Swahili word for Brachystegia, a genus of tree comprising a large number of species. Miombo woodland is classified in the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome...
woodland: Brachystegia
Brachystegia
Brachystegia is a genus of tree of the sub-family Caesalpinioideae that is native to tropical Africa. Trees of the genus are commonly known as Miombo, and are the predominant tree in the Miombo woodlands of central and southern Africa.-Species:...
, Julbernardia
Julbernardia
Julbernardia is a genus of legume in the Fabaceae family. There are eight species found in tropical Africa. They are medium-sized trees.It contains the following species:*Julbernardia magnistipulata*Julbernardia globiflora ...
, and Isoberlinia
Isoberlinia
Isoberlinia is a genus in the family Fabaceae of five species of tree native to the hotter parts of tropical Africa. They are an important component of miombo woodlands...
. 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 as dry most of the year round.
Fauna
FaunaFauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
inhabiting the area include a number of bird species and mammals including the Giant Sable Antelope
Giant Sable Antelope
The Giant Sable Antelope, Hippotragus niger variani, also known in Portuguese as the Palanca Negra Gigante, is a large, rare subspecies of Sable Antelope native and endemic to the region between Cuango and Luando Rivers in Angola....
. Endemic mammals include Vernay's Climbing Mouse
Vernay's Climbing Mouse
Vernay's Climbing Mouse is a species of rodent in the Nesomyidae family.It is found only in Angola.Its natural habitat is moist savanna.-References:* Dieterlen, F. 2004. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
(Dendromus vernayi). Large mammals include Giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
(in the wetter areas), Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), Blue duiker
Blue Duiker
Blue Duiker is a small forest dwelling duiker found in the Central Africa and southern South Africa.Blue Duikers stand around 35 centimetres tall at the shoulder and weigh 4 kilograms.They are the smallest of the antelope family. Blue Duikers have a brown coat with a slight blue tinge – hence...
(Cephalophus monticola) and Yellow-backed Duiker
Yellow-backed Duiker
The Yellow-backed Duiker , is an antelope found in central and western Africa. They have the widest range of any duiker in the genus Cephalophus....
(C. silvicultor) in the thickly wooded areas and giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
, Sitatunga
Sitatunga
The situtunga or marshbuck is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout Central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and parts of Southern Sudan as well as in Ghana, Botswana, Zambia, Gabon, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.-Description:Situtunga stand about one and a...
(Tragelaphus spekei) and waterbuck
Waterbuck
The Waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in Sub-Saharan Africa.Waterbuck stand at the shoulder. Males weigh and females . Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and white on their rumps...
(Kobus ellipsiprymnus) in the wetter areas, with Tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus) in the grasslands.
Other large mammals found in the ecoregion include hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
(Hippopotamus amphibius), zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
(Equus burchellii), and their predators such as lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
(Panthera leo), leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
(P. pardus), cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
(Acinonyx jubatus), African wild dog
African Wild Dog
Lycaon pictus is a large canid found only in Africa, especially in savannas and lightly wooded areas. It is variously called the African wild dog, African hunting dog, Cape hunting dog, painted dog, painted wolf, painted hunting dog, spotted dog, or ornate wolf...
(Lycaon pictus), Side-striped jackal
Side-striped Jackal
The side-striped jackal is a species of jackal, native to central and southern Africa. Unlike its cousin, the smaller black-backed jackal, which dwells in open plains, the side-striped jackal primarily dwells in woodland and scrub areas....
(Canis adustus) and spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) as well as smaller carnivores such as wild cat
Wild cat
The wildcat is a small cat with several subspecies and a very broad distribution, found throughout most of Africa, Europe, and southwest and central Asia into India, China, and Mongolia. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar or smaller size. Sometimes included is...
(Felis sylvestris), Serval
Serval
The serval , Leptailurus serval or Caracal serval, known in Afrikaans as Tierboskat, "tiger-forest-cat", is a medium-sized African wild cat. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and the caracal...
(F. serval), caracal
Caracal
The caracal is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat ranging over Western Asia, South Asia and Africa.The word caracal comes from the Turkish word "karakulak", meaning "black ear". In North India and Pakistan, the caracal is locally known as syahgosh or shyahgosh, which is a Persian term...
(F. caracal) and, appropriately the Angolan Genet
Angolan Genet
The Angolan Genet , is a mammal from the Carnivora order, related to civets and linsangs. It is one of fourteen species of genets...
(Genetta angolensis). Before 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...
in the 1970s the area was home to large populations of elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s and black rhinoceros
Black Rhinoceros
The Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros , is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola...
but these have almost completely been removed, mainly by poachers.
The only known endemic bird species is the Black-tailed Cisticola
Black-tailed Cisticola
The Black-tailed Cisticola is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo.Its natural habitat is dry savanna.-Source:...
(Cisticola melanura) although there is a fairly rich selection of bird life. Following rains the following can be found in the wetlands: Greater Swamp-warbler
Greater Swamp-warbler
The Greater Swamp-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia,...
(Acrocephalus rufescens), Yellow Flycatcher-warbler
Yellow Flycatcher-warbler
The Yellow Flycatcher-warbler is a species of Acrocephalidae warblers; formerly, these were placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warblers"....
(Chloropeta natalensis), Chirping Cisticola
Chirping Cisticola
The Chirping Cisticola is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe....
(Cisticola pipiens), Bocage's Weaver
Bocage's Weaver
The Bocage's Weaver is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family.It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 26 July 2007....
(Ploceus temporalis), saddle-billed stork
Saddle-billed Stork
The Saddle-billed Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa.This is a close...
(Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis), Marabou Stork
Marabou Stork
The Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips...
(Leptoptilos crumeniferus), Goliath heron
Goliath Heron
The Goliath Heron is a very large wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa, with smaller numbers in Southwest and South Asia.-Description:This is the world's largest heron...
(Ardea goliath), and wattled crane
Wattled Crane
The Wattled Crane, Bugeranus carunculatus is a large bird found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It is monotypical for its genus.At a height of up to , it is the largest crane in Africa and is the second tallest species of crane, after the Sarus Crane. The wingspan is , the length is...
(Bugeranus carunculatus).
Amphibians are less common. They include two endemic frog species, Hildebrandtia ornatissima
Hildebrandtia ornatissima
Hildebrandtia ornatissima is a species of frog in the Ranidae family.It is endemic to Angola.Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, intermittent freshwater lakes, and intermittent freshwater marshes.-Source:...
and Leptopelis anchietae
Leptopelis anchietae
Leptopelis anchietae is a species of frog in the Hyperoliidae family.It is endemic to Angola.Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marches.-References:...
, plus one that is found almost entirely in this region, Hyperolius vilhenai
Hyperolius vilhenai
Hyperolius vilhenai is a species of frog in the Hyperoliidae family.It is found in Angola and possibly Democratic Republic of the Congo.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater...
.
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 KuitoKuito
Kuito is a city located in central Angola. It is the administrative capital of Bié Province. Under Portuguese rule until 1975, it was called Silva Porto. Kuito was under siege in 1993/94 and again in 1998/99 by the rebel forces from UNITA...
, Menongue
Menongue
Menongue is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango Province in Angola.It is the terminus of the southern railway from Namibe.-History:Menongue, formerly Serpa Pinto, was originally named for Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto, a late 19th-century Portuguese explorer of the interior of...
and Luena
Luena, Moxico Province
Luena is a town located in east central Angola. It is the administrative capital of Moxico Province. While no exact figures are available, estimates on the population of the city varies from 60,000 to 200,000 residents, including an unknown number of refugees from the Angolan Civil War that...
all areas that saw much conflict during the 1975-2002 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...
.
Threats
The intense and long-lasting civil war has caused immense damage to this environment, leaving the forests exposed to poaching and uncontrolled clearance, and conservation has obviously become a low priority issue for the government. Also due to this conflict the area cannot be properly studied 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 flyTsetse fly
Tsetse , sometimes spelled tzetze and also known as tik-tik flies, are large biting flies that inhabit much of mid-continental Africa between the Sahara and the Kalahari deserts. They live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals and are the primary biological vectors of trypanosomes, which...
. Some forest is being cleared on the edge of towns or for strip-mining.
There are a number of Angolan national parks in the area, but these have had to be abandoned at various periods due to the fighting. One of these in particular Cangandala National Park
Cangandala National Park
Cangandala National Park is a national park in Malanje Province, Angola. It is situated between the Cuije river and 2 unnamed territories of the Cuanza, with the towns of Culamagia and Techongolola on the edges of the park. It is the smallest national park in Angola.-History:The park was created in...
is an important haven for the Giant Sable Antelope.