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This region supports a great diversity of species, many of which are characteristic of the miombo woodland habitat type and many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. This Global 200 ecoregion is made up of these terrestrial ecoregions: Eastern Miombo woodlands; Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands; Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands The word miombo is Bantu for the oak-like trees that characterize these central and eastern African woodlands. These unique woodlands are home to many large mammals, including giraffes, elands, rhinos, and the largest population of African elephants in Africa.
Temperatures are mild and rainfall is relatively low in the Central and Eastern Miombo Woodlands. Much of the ecoregion lies on the flat, expansive Central African Plateau. In other parts, you'll find flat or rolling hills with occasional areas of higher elevation. Miombo trees grow interdependently with a tree-root fungus that increases their mineral uptake from the soil. Miombo woodlands feature low shrubs and tall, broad-leaved trees.
Miombo woodlands are a favorite grazing spot for elephants, which feed on tree branches and may even knock down a whole tree just to get a good meal. Hoofed animals called nyalas count on woodland thickets for food and shelter, as do greater kudus and elands. Black-faced waxbills feed on acacia blossoms and the insects the blossoms attract. And many species of reptiles scuttle through the underbrush. Mopane trees can grow to heights of more than 80 feet (25 m) if the soil is rich. But these are adaptable trees that can also grow in poorly drained or clay soil.
Large areas of the Central and Eastern and Miombo Woodlands are intact, primarily because the ecoregion is so sparsely settled by humans. Future population growth and associated activities pose a potential threat.
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