Mount Mulanje, Malawi Photograph by Judy Oglethorpe   Southern Africa: Southern Malawi into Mozambique Montane Grasslands and Shrublands   3,900 square miles (10,200 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Delaware Critical/Endangered

· Majestic Rock
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Majestic Rock

The dominant feature of this ecoregion is Mount Mulanje. At 9,842 feet (3,000 m), this is the highest mountain in south-central Africa and one of the world's largest granite inselbergs. Inselbergs are rocky masses that have resisted erosion and stand isolated in an essentially level area. Mt. Mulanje was formed from igneous rock, an ancient block that cooled beneath the earth’s surface. Over time, softer rock has eroded away, leaving the isolated granite mass.

Special Features

This ecoregion is found at the southern end of Malawi, just spilling over the border into western Mozambique. The central highlands include several valleys, including one that is the source of the Ruo River. The Ruo makes its way down Mt. Mulanje in a series of spectacular waterfalls. Lower elevations are dominated by woodland and forest, with forest stretching up the gorges onto the plateaus. Miombo woodland also exists in the foothills. The mid-altitude forest is home to Afromontane species, with grassland occuring widely on the plateaus. Near the summits, the high rock massif is dominated by grassland and heathland vegetation and represents one of the most important surviving habitats for Afromontane forest and heath. This ecoregion is hydrologically important: Virtually every river in the area stems from Mount Mulanje, supporting life on the surrounding lowlands.

	Rock hyraxes form territorial groups that share communal latrines. Some of these function as "scenting parlors" where members wallow to share a common smell.

Wild Side

This ecoregion contains a number of narrowly endemic species, including the king dwarf gecko and some birds with small distribution ranges, such as the cholo alethe and the white-winged apalis. The cholo alethe regularly visits ant swarms, feeding on the insects by waiting on a nearby perch and then darting down to snatch its prey. The mountain is also home to the largest number of forest butterflies in Malawi, three of which are strictly endemic. Mount Mulanje has possibly the last leopards in southern Malawi. Subspecies of the yellow-spotted dassie and rock hyrax are also residents. A species of dwarf chameleon, two geckos, three skinks, and one rare limbless burrowing skink are also endemic, as is the squeaker frog.

Cause for Concern

The forests of the ecoregion are now mainly found within areas protected by the government for timber and water collection, on tea estates, and in burial places for local people. Many forest areas are intensely used by local people, and the quality of the habitats at lower altitudes is often quite degraded. Some of the primary threats include forest clearing for subsistence farming, tree felling for firewood, fires, and invasive plants such as the Mexican pine and Himalayan raspberry. Mulanje cedar has also been exploited to the point that it is now endangered. These threats are compounded by rapidly increasing population growth.

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