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South East Africa Montane Archipelago Study
April 5 , 2024
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- A recent study in southern Africa, has unearthed a previously undocumented biodiversity in a newly recognised ecoregion called the South East Africa Montane Archipelago (SEAMA).
- The mountainous SEAMA stretches across northern Mozambique to Mount Mulanje in Malawi, southern Africa’s second highest mountain.
- The researchers recognised at least 30 sites (nine in Malawi, 21 in Mozambique) in the core of the SEAMA ecoregion.
- The study documents 127 plants, 45 vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and 45 invertebrate species (butterflies, freshwater crabs) as well as two endemic genera of plants and reptiles.
- There are 22 strictly endemic reptile species. Of these, 19 are forest-dependent and the others occur mainly in upland grasslands and on rock faces.
- SEAMA has distinctly higher annual rainfall and humidity, especially in the dry season, compared to surrounding regions.
- Ecological regions (ecoregions) are widely used to inform global conservation priorities.
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