Bushveld
Southern Africa bushveld
WWF
AT0717
Map
The Bushveld, covering 54% of southern Africa, is part of the African savannas, the dominant vegetation of Africa. A savanna is a grassland with trees.
The Bushveld has little endemic flora or fauna. It has typical African savannas large mammals and rich bird life.
Location
The region covers the northern part of South Africa and runs into Botswana and southern Zimbabwe.
- southern boundary around Pretoria: the Highveld Grassland
- eastern boundary: the mountain ranges of the Drakensberg, Strydpoortberg and Soutpansberg
- western boundary: gradually changes into Kalahari
- northern boundary around Bulawayo: gradually changes into the Zambezian and Mopane Woodland ecoregion
Elevation
The Bushveld plateau's elevation ranges from 700 m to 1'100 m. Waterberg Mountains: 1'200 m - 1'500 m. The Springbok Flats is a flat plain in the southwest of the ecoregion.
Area
223'100 square kilometers
Rivers
- Limpopo River - receives tributaries from Botswana, Zimbabwe, and northern South Africa
- Olifants River - drains the eastern part
Nature Reserves
Nature Reserves found in this ecoregion are:
- Pilanesberg National Park -- 553 square kilometers
- Hans Strydom Nature Reserve
- Doorndraai Dam Nature Reserve
- Nylsvlei Nature Reserve
- Matopos National Park (Zimbabwe) -- 425 square kilometers
Climate
The region has a typical savanna climate with hot wet season of 4 to 8 months in duration, and a cool dry season for the rest of the year, but with little frost (if occurring quite mild).
- Rainfall
- annual: 350 mm - 750 mm
- Waterberg Mountains: 650 mm - 900 mm
- Temperature
- range: –3° C to 40° C
- average: 21°C
Geology
- coarse, sandy and shallow, overlying granite, quartzite, sandstone or shale
- rocky Waterberg Mountains (1'200 m - 1'500 m)
- Springbok Flats: black or red vertic clay, derived from basalt
Vegetation
The plants of this region can be divided into 2 zones:
- Mopane savanna - dominated by the winter-deciduous mopane tree
- Tuli Block (northern South Africa)
- southeastern Botswana into the
- main plateau of Zimbabwe
- Mixed savanna - varies from a dense, short bushveld to an open tree savanna
Plants of the northern part are
- trees in the
- silver clusterleaf (Terminalia sericea) - the dominant tree
- Burkea africana
- Acacia nilotica
- Acacia karoo
- Acacia rehmanniana
- grass
- Hyparrhenia filipendula
- Hyparrhenia dissolute
Plants of the Springbok Flats are
- trees
- Acacia tortilis
- Acacia nilotica
- Acacia nigrescens
- Acacia gerrardii
- Acacia karoo
- grass - dense, tall, and coarsely tufted
- turf grass (Ischaemum afrum)
- deck grass (Sehima galpinii)
- canary millet (Setaria incrassata)
Plants of the Waterberg Mountains savanna:
- trees
- African beachwood (Faurea saligna)
- common hookthorn (Acacia caffra)
- red seringa (Burkea africana)
- Terminalia sericea
- Peltophorum africanum
- white seringa (Kirkia acuminata)
- stemfruit (Englerophytum magalismontarum)
- Combretum apiculatum
- Combretum molle
- common sugerbush (Protea caffra)