View source for Angolan montane forest–grassland mosaic

{{Infobox ecoregion
|name = Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic
|image = Moco.JPG
|image_size =
|image_alt =
|caption = [[Mount Moco]], [[Angola]]
|map = File:Angolan Montane Forest-Grassland Ecoregion - Relief Map Angle.png
|map_size =
|map_alt =
|map_caption = Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic encircled in turquoise
|biogeographic_realm = [[Afrotropical realm|Afrotropical]]
|biome = [[montane grasslands and shrublands]]
|animals =
|bird_species =
|mammal_species =
|border1 = [[Angolan miombo woodlands]]
|border2 = [[Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands]]
|area = 25573
|country1 = [[Angola]]
|state1 =
|state2 =
|state3 =
|state4 =
|region_type =
|elevation =
|coordinates =
|geology =
|seas =
|rivers =
|climate =
|soil =
|conservation = Critical/endangered
|global200 =
|habitat_loss =
|habitat_loss_ref =
|protected = 0
|protected_ref = <ref name = dopa>"Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 15 March 2022. [https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/31001]</ref>
|embedded =
}}
The '''Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic''' ecoregion is located on the east-facing inland side of the belt of mountains that stands parallel to the coast of [[Angola]], 50–100&nbsp;km inland.
==Geography==
These inland slopes are mostly covered with grassland and savanna. The woodland once covered a much larger area but today only patches survive, mainly in deep ravines and on the higher peaks in [[Huambo Province|Huambo]] and [[Cuanza Sul Province|Cuanza Sul]] provinces, such as [[Mount Moco]] (2,620 m), Mount Mepo (2,582 m), Mount Lubangue (2,554 m), Mount Namba (2582 m), and on the [[Serra da Chela]] in [[Huíla Province]].<ref name = wwf/>
The towns of [[Huambo]] and [[Lubango]] are located at the edge of the ecoregion.
==Climate==
The area has a wet summer and some mist and rainfall year-round so water is fairly abundant though in the dry season obtainable in some places only by digging in the sandy beds of the rivers.
<ref name = wwf>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic|id=at1001}}</ref>
==Flora==
Open montane grassland is the predominant plant community above 1600 meters elevation. In the dry season fires are common and the dry grasses burn and are then renewed. Shrubs include species of ''[[Erica (plant)|Erica]]'', sugarbushes (''[[Protea]]'') and ''[[Cliffortia]]'', and grasses ''[[Themeda triandra]]'' and species of ''[[Tristachya]]'', ''[[Hyparrhenia]]'', ''[[Festuca]]'', and ''[[Monocymbium]]''.<ref name = wwf/>
Forest patches occur above 1800 meters elevation, in moist ravines and on high mountain slopes. Forest patches tend to be small, from 1 to 20 hectares, with an irregular tree canopy 8 to 15 meters high. The forest patches are not so vulnerable to fire. The [[Afromontane]] woodland flora has similarities with that of other mountain ranges across Africa. The predominant tree is the conifer ''[[Podocarpus latifolius]]''. Other canopy trees are mainly evergreen broadleaved trees, including ''[[Polyscias fulva]], [[Apodytes dimidiata]], [[Pittosporum viridiflorum]], [[Syzygium guineense|Syzygium guineense afromontanum]], [[Halleria lucida]]'', ''[[Olea]]'' spp., and ''[[Ilex mitis]]''.<ref name = wwf/>
==Fauna==
The fauna includes a number of bird species unique to the highlands such as [[Boulton's batis]] (''Batis margaritae''), [[Swierstra's spurfowl]] (''Pternistis swierstra''), [[Angola cave-chat]] (''Xenocopsychus ansorgei'') [[grey-striped spurfowl]] (''Pternistis griseostriatus'') and [[Angola slaty flycatcher]] (''Dioptrornis brunneus'').<ref name = wwf/> [[Ludwig's double-collared sunbird]] (''Cinnyris ludovicensis'') is native to the Angolan montane forest–grassland mosaic and to the [[Nyika Plateau]] of Malawi. Some of these species have close relatives in other forests of the continent, more indication that this woodland was once much more widespread.
Native mammals include the [[yellow baboon]] (''Papio cynocephalus''), [[red-footed squirrel]] (''Funisciurus pyrropus''), [[common duiker]] (''Sylvicapra grimmia''), [[blue duiker]] (''Philantomba monticola''), and [[bushpig]] (''Potamochoerus larvatus''). Large grazing mammals recorded in the mid-1970s include [[Burchell's zebra]] (''Equus quagga burchelli''), [[common eland]] (''Taurotragus oryx''), [[southern reedbuck]] (''Redunca arundinum''), [[oribi]] (''Ourebia ourebi''), and [[roan antelope]] (''Hippotragus equinus''), but most are now either rare in or extirpated from the ecoregion.<ref name = wwf/><ref> Rodrigues, Patrícia; Figueira, Rui; Vaz Pinto, Pedro; Araújo, Miguel B.; Beja, Pedro (2015). A biogeographical regionalization of Angolan mammals. ''Mammal Review''. April 2015, Vol. 45 Issue 2, p 103-116. 14p.</ref>
Two species of shrew, the [[heather shrew]] (''Crocidura erica'') and [[blackish white-toothed shrew]] (''Crocidura nigricans''), are limited to the ecoregion and some adjacent areas of the surrounding Angolan miombo woodlands.<ref name = wwf/>
==Threats==
The highlands are one of the most heavily populated parts of Angola so the woodland is vulnerable to clearance for logging, while some of the grassland, except where it is very swampy, is being cleared for agriculture. Furthermore, the mountains were the scene of much conflict and poverty during the [[Angolan Civil War]] and as a consequence the wildlife has been little studied or protected.<ref name = wwf/> None of the ecoregion is in protected areas.<ref name = dopa/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic}}
[[Category:Afromontane ecoregions]]
[[Category:Afromontane forests]]
[[Category:Afrotropical ecoregions]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Angola]]
[[Category:Montane grasslands and shrublands]]