Forests in Knysna region

Knysna-Amatole montane forests ecoregion

WWF AT0115
Map

This is the only rain forest in South Africa stretching from Knysna (south) past Plettenberg Bay in the north. Its flanked by the Indian Ocean on the east, and by the fynbos ecoregion on the interior.

• Location
• Elevation
• Area
• Nature Reserves
• Climate
• Geology
• Vegetation
• Mammals
• Birds
• Amphibians
• Reptiles

The natural forests experienced such timber harvests that some species are no longer found:

• buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
• elephant (Loxodonta africana)
• leopard (Panthera pardus)

Location

Forests are found in two regions:

• Knysna forest
  • along the coast: covers only 568 square kilometers
  • along the southern Cape coastline of South Africa (34°S and between 22°E and 25°E)
• Amatole complex
  • further inland: covers only 405 square kilometers
  • 32.7°S and 27.2°E

Elevation

• Knysna forest
  • 5 m to 1'220 m above sea level with a mean of 240 m
• Amatole complex
  • 700 m to 1'250 m above sea level with a mean of 1,000 m

Area

3'100 square kilometers

Nature Reserves

Nature Reserves found in this ecoregion are:

• Wilderness National Park
• Knysna National Lake Area
• Sinclair Nature Reserve
• Robberg Nature Reserve
• Keurboomsriver Nature Reserve
• Tsitsikamma National Park

Climate

• Knysna forest
  • Rainfall
    • 525 mm to 1220 mm
  • Temperature (mean daily maximum and minimum)
    • Summer: 23.8 °C (February)
    • Winter: 18.2 °C (August)
• Amatole complex
  • Rainfall
    • 750 mm to 1500 mm
  • Temperature
    • Summer: 19.7 °C
    • Winter: 8.9 °C

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Geology

Forest soil is acidic and nutrient-poor

• Knysna forest:
  • quartzite, shale, schist, conglomerate and dune sand
• Amatole complex:
  • shale, sandstone, mudstone and dolerite

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Vegetation

• Common trees of ecoregion
  • ironwood (Olea capensis)
  • stinkwood (Ocotea bullata)
  • Outeniqua yellowwood (Podocarpus falcatus)
  • real yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius)
  • Cape holly (Ilex mitis)
  • white pear (Apodytes dimidiata)
  • Cape beech (Rapanea melanophloeos)
  • bastard saffron (Cassine peragua)
  • Cape plane (Ochna arborea)
  • assegai tree (Curtisia dentata)
  • kamassi (Gonioma kamassi)
• Understory plants:
  • wild pomegranate (Burchellia bubalina)
  • black witch-hazel (Trichocladus clinitus)
  • seven weeks fern (Rumohra adiantiformis)
  • Cape primrose (Streptocarpus spp.)
• Epiphytic species in trees:
  • Usnea spp.
  • Lycopodium gnidioides
• Knysna forest
  • There are isolated patches of fynbos within the Knysna forest

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Mammals

Five mammal species listed in the South African Red Data Book are found in this ecoregion:

• tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus)
• samango monkey (Cercopithecus mitis)
• blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola)
• giant golden mole (Chrysopalax trevelyani)
• honey badger (Mellivora capensis)

Endemic to this region:

• long-tailed forest shrew (Myosorex longicaudatus, VU)