Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic

Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic
Elephants in Lopé National Park, Gabon
Map of the Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic
Ecology
Realm	Afrotropical
Biome	Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Borders	List Angolan miombo woodlands Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests Central African mangroves Central Congolian lowland forests Eastern Congolian swamp forests Northwestern Congolian lowland forests Southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic Western Congolian swamp forests
Geography
Area	413,400 km2 (159,600 sq mi)
Countries	Angola Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo, Gabon
Elevation	0–900 meters
Conservation
Conservation status	relatively stable
Protected	6.42%[1]

The Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is an ecoregion of Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.

Geography

The forest–savanna mosaic covers a region of dissected plateaus lying between the Congo Basin on the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The lower Congo River passes through the ecoregion.^[2]

The ecoregion is bounded on the northwest by the humid Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests, which extend north from the Congo River along the Atlantic coast. The Northwestern Congolian lowland forests lie to the north and northeast. The Southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic bounds the ecoregion on the east, south of the Congo River. The Angolan miombo woodlands lie to the southeast and south. The Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands lies to the southwest along the Atlantic coast, extending south from the Congo River's mouth.

The cities of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, capitals of the two Congo republics, are in the ecoregion, located opposite one another on the Congo River. Other cities in the ecoregion include Matadi and Cabinda.

Climate

The climate is tropical, with little seasonal variation. Mean maximum temperatures range from 30 °C in the lowlands to 21 °C on the high plateaus, and mean minimum temperatures range from 21º to 15 °C. Rainfall averages 1200 mm per year, increasing to 1400 mm at the transition to the coastal and Congolian rainforests.^[2]

Flora

The ecoregion is a mosaic of wooded grassland with patches of forest. It includes areas of dry evergreen forest on the

Mabwati is a dense dry forest community which grows on deposits of Kalahari sand in the eastern portion of the ecoregion, and extend into the adjacent Southern Congolian forest–savanna. The trees Marquesia macroura, Marquesia acuminata, Daniellia alsteeniana, and Berlinia giorgii are characteristic of mabwati's dense canopy.^[2]

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to several large mammal species.

Adam's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus adami) and the velvet climbing mouse (Dendroprionomys rousseloti) are endemic to the ecoregion. The forest horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus silvestris) is a limited-range species, that lives in the forest-savanna and the rainforests north of the Congo River.^[2]

There are two endemic bird species, the