Miombo Ecoregion Vision Report - Biodiversity Foundation for Africa

Miombo Ecoregion Report, page 54
11. MANICALAND ― NYANGA
A transfrontier upland area comprising the highlands of Nyanga, Rukotso, Stapleford in
Zimbabwe and adjacent mountains in Mozambique, along with the associated valleys and
lowlands. It is more properly included in the Afromontane Ecoregion, but is mapped and
described here until an ecoregion conservation programme for this is initiated. The vegetation is
very varied, including fynbos-like low montane shrublands, upland grassland, high and medium
altitude rainforest, high and medium altitude miombo woodlands (Brachystegia spiciformis and
Brachystegia utilis), and heavily-disturbed woodlands and forest patches with affinities to the
East African coastal plains. Large areas are planted to exotic conifers or wattles. The range of
vegetation types is very great, reflecting the great range in altitude and soil types, and spans what
is effectively three ecoregions.
Plant diversity is very high, reflecting the wide range of habitats and altitudes. There are 16
endemic/near endemic species in the Nyanga area, most of which are confined to montane
grassland. Large mammal diversity is low, but there are small mammals on the boundary
between the Miombo and Afromontane Ecoregions (Lissonycteris goliath, Chlorotalpa arendsi,
Myosorex 'caffer', Crocidura inyangai, Sylvisorex sheppardi, Aethomys silindensis) that are
endemic to these montane areas. Bird diversity is particularly high (246 species recorded from
Nyanga National Park alone), with three IBAs (Nyanga mountains, Nyanga lowlands/Honde
Valley, Stapleford) in Zimbabwe containing a number of range-restricted and globally threatened
species. Species of particular note are the Blue Swallow, Briar Warbler, Chirinda Apalis and
Swynnerton's Robin, all of which are montane grassland or forest species, not normally found in
Caesalpinoid woodland. There are seasonal altitudinal movements of many bird species between
miombo woodland and forest. The forest and grassland butterfly fauna is rich, particularly that
associated with the ecotone between miombo and montane, with two endemics (Deloneura
sheppardi, Lepidochrysops chittyi). The Nyanga uplands also contain many important prehistory
sites.
There are a number of protected areas, including Nyanga National Park and State Forests in
Zimbabwe. The latter, although primarily for commercial pine and wattle production, do have
some intact habitat.
A significant form of land use in the upland areas is commercial timber production, and a number
of valuable grassland areas were cleared for this in the 1950s. It is an important water catchment
area. Tourism is also a major land use in the Nyanga/Juliasdale area of Zimbabwe, along with
commercial fruit and flower cultivation. At lower altitudes, in the Honde valley and Mutasa
areas, population pressures are very high in the communal lands, with grazing and subsistence
crop production being the main forms of land use. The major threats in Zimbabwe are expansion
of commercial timber production, invasion by exotic trees (pines, wattles) into upland grasslands,
and habitat destruction from subsistence farming in the lower lying valleys. It is not clear what
the status is in Mozambique.
12. MANICALAND ― CHIMANIMANI
Another mostly upland transfrontier area comprising highlands of the Chimanimani and
Himalaya mountains along the Zimbabwe–Mozambique border, the Chipinge Uplands, and
adjacent lowlands, particularly in Mozambique. Much of it falls outside the present Miombo
Ecoregion boundary. As with the previous area (11), it is more properly included under an
Afromontane Ecoregion programme, but is described here to ensure its unique biological features
are not overlooked or "fall between two stools".