Angolan mopane woodlands

Angolan mopane woodlands
Angolan mopane woodlands
	Afrotropic
Biome	Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Geography
Area	133,400 km2 (51,500 sq mi)
Countries	Angola; Namibia;
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/Endangered

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.^[1]

Location and description

In Angola the region mostly comprises the southern

Omusati, Oshana and the eastern inland arm of Kunene and areas of Oshikoto surrounding the Etosha Pan. The ecoregion includes the Cunene River which divides the two countries, and is one of the main sources of water in this dry region.^[2]

The landscape is mainly flat. The rainy season is late summer.

The mopane woodlands are bounded on the west by the drier

Kalahari xeric savanna lies to the south.^[3]

The Angolan mopane woodlands surround the

Etosha pan

.

Flora

Mopane is the distinctive feature, a single-stemmed tree in some places up to 10 m high and in some places not much more than a shrub. It has butterfly-shaped leaves and grows in dense thickets. In Etosha National Park in Namibia it is by the far the most common species.

Fauna

Ruben's sand lizard (Pedioplanis rubens), and the skaapsteker snake (Psammophylax rhombeatus

ocellatus).

Threats and preservation

The woodlands are vulnerable to clearance for agriculture, firewood and timber while the grassland between the trees is being overgrazed. On the Angolan side there are two national parks,

Bicauri National Park and Mupa National Park but wildlife in these parks and Cunene Province as a whole has been severely damaged by the Angolan Civil War

.

Meanwhile in Namibia a huge game reserve contained a large proportion of this ecoregion until the park was broken up to create land for settlements in the 1960s. Part of the reserve remains protected as

Namibian War of Independence still continues in Etosha and other private reserves in Namibia. There have also been outbreaks of anthrax

in Etosha National Park. On the positive side firefighting efforts have allowed the park to become more wooded and thus support a larger elephant population.

Visiting the region

The closest town to Etosha National Park is Tsumeb.

References

^ EO Earth Archived March 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Angolan Mopane woodlands". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
^ Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D'Amico Hales, Emma Underwood, et al. (2004). Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. World Wildlife Fund. Island Press, 2004.

External links

[1] EO Earth Archived March 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[2] World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Angolan Mopane woodlands". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.

[3] Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D'Amico Hales, Emma Underwood, et al. (2004). Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. World Wildlife Fund. Island Press, 2004.

[1]

[2]

[3]