Forests of northern Kwazulu-Natal

Maputaland coastal forest mosaic

WWF AT0119
Map

These are forests in the far north of Kwazulu-Natal at Cape St Lucia and stretches into Mozambique. It is interspersed with the savanna of the Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets.

• Location
• Elevation
• Area
• Rivers and lakes
• Nature Reserves
• Climate
• Geology
• Vegetation
• Mammals
• Birds
• Amphibians
• Reptiles
• Freshwater fish

Location

The region covers the area

• north: Xai Xai (Mozambique) (25° S)
• south: Cape St. Lucia (28° S)
• west: Lebombo Mountain Range (600 m)
• east: Indian Ocean

Elevation

Elevation ranges from

Area

30'200 square kilometers

Rivers and lakes

Rivers

• Pongola River

Lakes

• Lake St. Lucia - 350 square kilometers, the largest estuarine system in Africa
• Lake Sibayi - 60 square kilometers, the largest freshwater lake in southern Africa
• Kosi Lake System - 37 square kilometers
• Lake Piti

Nature Reserves

Nature Reserves found in this ecoregion are:

• Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park - 2'134 square kilometers
• Tembe Elephant Park
• Mkuzi Game Reserve
• Phinda Resource Reserve - 170 square kilometers
• Maputo Elephant Reserve - 900 square kilometers
• Ilhas de Inhaca e dos Portugeses Faunal Reserve - 20 square kilometers

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Climate

Summers are hot and humid. Winters are cool and dry. Highest rain falls occur during the summer between September and April. The area has high humidity throughout the year.

• Rainfall
  • coast: over 1000 mm per annum
  • inland: less than 600 mm per annum
• Temperature (mean annual)
  • Lebombo Mountains: 21°C
  • Central coastal plain: 23°C
  • Coast: 22°C

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Geology

• Maputaland coastal plain is covered in recent, infertile, wind distributed sands
• They form a series of north-south aligned dune ridges up to 200 m in height running parallel to the coastline

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Vegetation

Vegetation types include forest, savanna woodland, grassland, and wetland habitats. The number of plant species found here is between 2'500 and 3'000 of which 225 species are endemic or near-endemic.

Lebombo Range

• Forest trees
  • Chrysophyllum viridifolium
  • Homalium dentatum
  • Combretum kraussii
  • Ficus
  • Celtis
  • Strychnos spp.
• Understory trees and tall shrubs
  • Buxus natalensis
  • Englerophytum natalense
  • Rothmannia globosa
• trees 10–12 m high
  • Acacia nigrescens
  • Acacia burkei
  • Combretum apiculatum
  • Pterocarpus rotundifolia
• trees in shallow soil
  • Aloe marlothi
  • Ficus spp.
  • Euphorbia spp.
• trees on steep and stony slopes (dry woods)
  • Olea africana
  • Combretum spp.

Sand Forest

Sand Forests grow in dry dune sands

• canopy trees
  • Cleistanthus schlechteri
  • Newtonia hildebrandtii
  • Hymenocardia ulmoides
  • Psydrax fragrantissima
• understorey trees
  • Croton pseudopulchellus
  • Drypetes arguta
• endemics
  • Vitex ferruginea subsp. amboniensis
  • Hyperacanthus microphyllus
  • Combretum mkuzense
  • Afzelia quanzensis (near Maputo)
• savanna trees
  • Terminalia sericea
  • Strychnos madagascariensis
  • Strychnos spinosa
  • Acacia burkei
  • Combretum molle
• savanna grass genera
  • Aristida
  • Digitaria
  • Themeda
  • Urochloa
  • Pogonathria
  • Perotis

Coastline

• trees of the Sand Forest as well as:
  • Albizia adianthifolia
  • Dialium schlechteri
  • Afzelia quanzensis
  • Hyphaene natalensis
  • Acacia robusta
  • Spirostachys africana
• grass is similar to Sand Forest

Coastal dunes

Trees may grow as tall as 30 m

• Mimusops caffra
• Euclea natalensis
• Diospyros rotundifolia

Palm Veld

• grass
  • Themeda
  • Eragrostis
  • Aristida
  • Perotis
• palms
  • Hyphaene natalensis
  • Phoenix reclinata
• short trees
  • Dichrostachys cinerea
  • Strychnos madagascariensis

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Mammals

More than 100 species have been recorded but no strict or near-endemic species.

• elephant ( Loxodonta africana, EN)
• large predators
  • Leopard ( Panthera pardus, EN)
  • Lion (Panthera leo, VU)
  • Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus, VU)

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Birds

There are 470 bird species in this ecoregion with 4 species and 43 subspecies endemic or near endemic.

• endemic
  • Neergaard’s sunbird ( Nectarinia neergaardi
• near endemic
• Rudd’s apalis (Apalis ruddi)
• pink-throated twinspot (Hypargos margaritatus)
• lemon-breasted seedeater (Serinus citrinipectus)

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Amphibians

There are 45 species or subspecies of frog with 1 near endemic species.

Reptiles

There are 112 species or subspecies of reptile in the area of which 23 are either endemic or near endemic, and 4 strictly endemic.

• Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

Freshwater fish

There are 67 freshwater fish species, of which 8 species are endemic or near endemic.

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