Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets

WWF AT1012
Map

This region is found in the deep gorges alongside rivers in the south, but also on the shallow northern plains. It covers the area stretching from the East Coast Belt at the Indian Ocean (east) to the foothills of the Drakensberg ecoregion (west), and from Durban (north) to East London (south).

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

Location

The region covers the area from foot of the Drakensberg Mountain Range to the Indian Ocean but is separated from it by the narrow band of KwaZulu-Cape Coastal Forest ecoregion. It stretches from north of Durban to East London (south).

Major towns in this region are

• Durban
• Umtata
• King Williams Town
• East London
• Grahamstown

Elevation

Elevation ranges from sealevel to the foot of the Drakensberg Moutains (about 1'000m).

Area

19'500 square kilometers

Rivers

The rivers drain the Drakensberg Mountains. In the south there are deeper river valleys, while in the north rivers flow through low-lying country.

• Tugela River
• mBashe River
• Kei River
• Great Fish River

Nature Reserves

Nature Reserves found in this ecoregion are:

• Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve
  • vegetation ranges from forest, riverine thicket, mixed evergreen and deciduous thicket, evergreen sclerophyllous shrubland to open grassland
  • 268 bird species, including raptors
• Thomas Baines Nature Reserve
  • Palmiet River
  • hilly country covered by a mixture of bushland thicket, mixed grassland and fynbos
  • endemic plant: Oldenburgia arbuscula
  • 42 mammal species are found
    • eland
    • buffalo
    • bushbuck
    • mountain reedbuck
    • black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou)
    • bontebok (Damaliscus dorcas dorcas)
• Weenen Nature Reserve

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Climate

Rain falls mainly in summer between October and March (75%).

• Rainfall
  • most of the area: below 800 mm per annum
  • decreases southward to 450 mm
• Temperature
  • 12° - 26°C
  • frost-free

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Geology

• granites
• schists
• gneisses
• lavas (basalt and dolomite intrusions)
• sedimentary strata
  • marine sediments from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic periods
• clay and lithosol soils of the Cape Beaufort group
• soils are deep and well-drained moderate to high leaching

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Vegetation

This ecoregion has numerous species - between 6'000 and 7'000 plant species but with little endemism, which is restricted to succulent genera such as Euphorbia, Crassula, Delosperma and Aloe.

Dominated by evergreen sclerophyllous plants with scattered succulent trees and shrubs. The closed canopy is up to 6 m in height and is often impenetrable with a tangle of spinescent shrubs, low trees and vines.

• trees
  • Diospyros dichrophylla
  • Euphorbia triangularis
  • Rhus dentata
  • Senecio deltoides
  • Putterlickia pyracantha
  • Rhoicissus tridentata
  • Grewia accidentalis
  • Phyllanthus verrucosus
• grass
  • Panicum maximum
• cycads
  • Kei cycad (Encephalartos princep)
  • Bushman’s river cycad (Encephalartos trispinosusi)
  • Alexandria cycad (Encephalartos arenarius)
  • Albany cycad (Encephalartos. latifrons)
• endemic
  • Pachypodium bispinosum
  • Pachypodium succulentum
  • Encephalartos trispinosus

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Mammals

Mammals are not endemic, but a wide trange of species are found.

• leopard (Panthera pardus)
• serval (Felis serval)
• caracal (F. caracal)
• large spotted genet (Genetta tigrina)
• honey badger (Mellivora capensis)
• white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda)
• black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas)
• Marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus)
• large grey mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon)
• spotted-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis)
• Cape clawless otter (Aonyx capensis)
• black rhinos (Diceros bicornis)
• white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum)
• bush pigs (Potamochoerus larvatus)
• blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola)
• bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)
• greater kudu (T. strepsiceros)
• common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia)
• mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula)
• eland (Taurotragus oryx)
• golden mole (Chrysospalax trevelyani)
• Natal red rock rabbit (Pronolagus crassicaudatus)
• buffalo
• eland
• warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)
• bushbuck
• common duiker
• springbuck (Antidorcas marsupialis)
• chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas)
• vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)

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Birds

• chorister robin (Cossypha dichroa)
• forest canary (Serinus scotops)
• Cape vulture ( Gyps coprotheres, VU)
• Collywobbles vulture
• ground thrush (Zoothera guttata EN)

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Amphibians

• Hyperolius pickersgilli
• Leptopelis xenodactylus
• Cacosternum poyntoni

Reptiles

• near-edemic
  • Bradypodion thamnobates
  • Kinixys natalensis

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