Sumbu National Park, Zambia Photograph by www.zambiatourism.com   Afrotropics Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   3,000 square miles (7,800 square kilometers) -- about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined Critical/Endangered

· A Thick Thicket
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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A Thick Thicket

Crawling on your belly may be the best way to move through the Itigi-Sumbu Thicket. Its shrubs grow so densely that almost no light reaches the ground. Humans may have a hard time moving through it, but not elephants. With their tough hides and large size, they can plow through the dense shrubs, which bounce back into place behind them as if these giant mammals had never passed.

Special Features

The Itigi-Sumbu Thicket ecoregion, located in patches along the southwestern shore of Lake Tanganyike and near the Itigi village in central Tanzania, may be an endangered habitat. The Itigi is composed mainly of shrubs, dominated by Baphia, Bussea, and Pseudoprospis species that do not normally occur in open areas but rather on well-aerated and hydrated soils that favor dense root systems.

Elephants provide numerous benefits to the African habitats they live in, including creating trails and water holes that are used by many other species. By knocking down trees in open areas, they contribute to habitat diversity. Tree destruction can also have a negative impact by transforming woodland into grassland. However, this mainly occurs where elephants are confined and concentrated in small areas such as national parks. In natural settings elephants may not return to areas where they knocked down trees for many years.

Wild Side

It is home to a number of endemic plants. One of the more widespread species is a large candelabra Euphorbia, which is a succulent that occurs only on termite mounds. It slowly grows to 33 feet (10 m) or more, and can be hundreds of years old by the time it reaches that height. The stout trunk has gnarled, knobby bark with segmented stems emerging from its thick branches. Tiny but interesting flowers grow on the tips and axils of the stem. But if you ever see one of these plants, don’t touch its stems! They contain a poisonous white sap. Elephants are among the few large mammals in this ecoregion. In addition to elephants, the dense thornless vegetation also provides habitat for large antelopes like common elands and roan antelopes. A number of other species are also found here, including such reptiles as the four-fingered skink and Urungu beaked snake. The blue-throated agama, a short, plump lizard, is another resident whose diet includes flying ants, termites, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles.

Cause for Concern

Although the Itigi-Sumbu Thicket is poorly known, reports indicate that it is rapidly being cleared in Tanzania for agriculture. In Zambia, a recent study has shown a 71 percent reduction of the Itigi thicket in the last 20 years. At this rate, it may be completely destroyed within the next 20 years.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.