Simen Mountains, Ethiopia Photograph by Rob Preston   Afrotropics Montane Grasslands and Shrublands   94,700 square miles (245,400 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of New York Critical/Endangered

· Habitats of the Highlands
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Habitats of the Highlands

In the past, some plant species that are now restricted to isolated mountaintops would have once presumably been found lower down and been more widespread. Today, if you were to climb up into the eastern and western Ethiopian highlands, you'd come across numerous farms and many people. You would probably also encounter patches of grassland, shrubland, and forest that harbor wilder forms of life. These natural areas are home to a variety of rare birds and mammals, including some of the world's last remaining Walia ibex--a species of wild goat with enormous curved horns.

Special Features

The eastern and western Ethiopian highlands are separated by the Ethiopian portion of Africa's Great Rift Valley. Most of the ecoregion lies between 5,900 and 10,800 feet (1,800 and 3,300 m). Climate varies considerably across the region. Between May and October, warm, moist air drawn from the Indian Ocean delivers rain to the southwestern slope of the highlands. But during the rest of the year, winds are from the Red Sea and bring smaller amounts of moisture to the northern side. Differences in moisture yield different vegetation across the ecoregion, ranging from grassland, bushland, and thicket in lower rainfall areas to evergreen broadleafed montane forests and cloud forests where moisture is greater. Dominant trees along the southern slopes include the black cork tree, osan, and African olive. St. John’s wort is also common.

Gelada baboons are highly social primates that huddle together on cliffs at night to help withstand the cold. Fossils show that during the Pleistocene Era, these baboons were once widespread in Africa. Today, gelada are restricted to the Ethiopian highlands, where troops of hundreds may be seen feeding on grasses. They feed while seated, and shuffle from one clump to another without getting up. This has evolved as a way to save energy and conserve warmth.

Wild Side

A great diversity of birds--many of them endemic--inhabit this highland ecoregion. These include Rüppell's chats, Ankober serins, white-winged flufftails, and blue-winged geese. Gelada baboons gather in troops of up to several hundred individuals, feeding on grasses to such an extent that the cleared patches are referred to as "gelada fields." Deerlike animals called mountain nyala browse on aromatic herbs that include lady’s mantle, catmint, and a feathery sagebrush. Endangered Walia ibex, numbering fewer than 400, nibble on herbs, shrubs, and trees.

Cause for Concern

Human population density in this region is high, and people's demands for farmland and other resources have already changed the landscape considerably. Since the early 20^th century, only about five percent of the Ethiopian highlands have stayed forested. Some parts of the ecoregion are protected within the Simien Mountains and Bale Mountains national parks, but a difficult national political situation makes management challenging.

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