Miombo Ecoregion Vision Report - Biodiversity Foundation for Africa

Miombo Ecoregion Report, page 63
Although the Selous Game Reserve, covering most of the area, is well protected (it is also a
World Heritage Site), the Kilombero area is unprotected. In the north there is the small Mikumi
National Park.
In the Kilombero area there is high population pressure and major threats from subsistence
agriculture and deforestation. Livestock are grazed extensively here, and the wetlands are
threatened. The planned building of a bridge over the Rufiji river would greatly improve
communications with the southern part of the area, and would also increase land use pressures.
Other threats include widescale burning and unsustainable extraction of valuable indigenous
timbers. Tourism is an important form of land use, and there is much potential for expansion. The
area is a significant carbon sink.
26. LOWER ROVUMA
An extensive transfrontier area flanking the Rovuma river comprising part of northern Niassa and
Cabo Delgado provinces in northern Mozambique and Lindi district in southern Tanzania,
including the town of Tunduru and much of the lower basin of the Rio Lugenda. The area forms
a corridor between the Selous (Area 25) and Niassa Game Reserves, while the Rovuma river is
the least disturbed river on the east coast of Africa. Around Nachingwea in Tanzania is heavily
populated, so this part of the transfrontier area is not included. The mapped eastern boundary is
that of the Miombo Ecoregion, but the conservation area should really be extended eastwards to
the coast to include the Mueda plateau and associated coastal lowlands in Mozambique and the
Rondo plateau and associated lowlands in Tanzania. Both these are exceptionally rich areas
biologically, particularly for plants, but are possibly best considered under a Coastal Forest
Ecoregion programme. Vegetation is dry miombo woodland bordering on East African coastal
forests, both dry and evergreen. Riparian woodlands are also found.
Plant diversity is unknown but believed to be very high owing to East African coastal elements,
particularly in dry forests. The adjacent area in southern Tanzania just outside the ecoregion, the
Rondo plateau, has exceptionally high plant endemism in coastal forests. Mammal diversity is
high although population numbers are low. Elephant are common, along with sable antelope,
wild dog, zebra, wildebeest and leopard. The Rondo galago is restricted to the Rondo plateau,
and there are thought to be a number of endemic small mammals towards the coast. Although
there is minimal elephant movement across the Rovuma from the Niassa Game Reserve to
Tanzania, the opening up of a corridor between Niassa and Selous is regarded as a major
conservation priority. The area is important for intra-African migrant birds such as African Pitta
and Spotted Ground Thrush. Herp diversity is not well known but is believed to be rich.
The Niassa Game Reserve is protected and surrounding areas in Mozambique are game
management areas. There is a potential trans-frontier conservation agreement.
Within the Miombo Ecoregion portion, the major threats are expansion of subsistence agriculture
and habitat fragmentation, widescale bushfires, unsustainable exploitation of valuable indigenous
timbers, and charcoal production. Population pressures are higher in the Tanzania portion.
CBNRM programmes are in place around the Niassa Reserve. Sport hunting is an important form
of land use.