The East African montane moorlands is a

montane grasslands and shrublands Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than th ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

which occupies several high mountain peaks in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

, and

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

Geography

The ecoregion occupies an area of , covering several small mountaintop enclaves. These include Mount Elgon on the Uganda-Kenya border, The

Aberdare Mountains The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range, Kikuyu: ''Nyandarua'') is a 160 km (100 mile) long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It straddles across the counties of Nyandarua, Nye ...

and Mount Kenya in Kenya, and

Mount Meru Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु), also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru, is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritu ...

, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. The ecoregion occupies areas higher than elevation. Below the montane moorlands is the

East African montane forests The East African montane forests is a montane tropical moist forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. The ecoregion comprises several separate areas above 2000 meters in the mountains of South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Geography The East Afr ...

ecoregion.

Flora

Plant communities include ericaceous woodland and wooded grassland, ''

Dendrosenecio ''Dendrosenecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family. It is a segregate of ''Senecio'', in which it formed the subgenus ''Dendrosenecio''. Its members, the giant groundsels, are native to the higher altitude zones of ten mo ...

'' woodland and wooded grassland, tussock grassland, ''

Helichrysum The genus ''Helichrysum'' consists of an estimated 600 species of flowering plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The type species is '' Helichrysum orientale''. They often go by the names everlasting, immortelle, and strawflower. The nam ...

'' shrub, and swamps or mires. The flora includes many

Afroalpine The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions of ...

endemic species which are adapted to the harsh conditions. Adaptations include rosette and tussock forms and silvery leaves. From 3500 to 4500 meters elevation plants can grow up to eight meters high, and include giant species of ''Dendrosenecio'' and ''Lobelia''. Tussock grasslands are found in dry and fire-prone areas. ''Helichrysum'' scrub is found on dry and rocky slopes. Above 4500 meters elevation vegetation is mostly low

cushion plant A cushion plant is a compact, low-growing, mat-forming plant that is found in alpine, subalpine, arctic, or subarctic environments around the world. The term "cushion" is usually applied to woody plants that grow as spreading mats, are limited in ...

s, including ''Agrostis sclerophylla'' and ''Sagina afroalpina'', which extend up to the limit of vegetation at around 5000 meters. The East African moorland flora has much in common with that of the Rwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands.Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D’Amico Hales, Emma Underwood (2004). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment''. Island Press, Washington DC.

Fauna

The montane moorlands ecoregion shares several limited-range bird species with the lower-elevation

Hunter's cisticola Hunter's cisticola (''Cisticola hunteri'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are tropical moist montane and high-altitude shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, br ...

(''Cisticola hunteri'') is found on all the mountains in the ecoregion. Jackson's francolin (''Pternistis jacksoni'') and Sharpe's pipit (''Macronyx sharpei'') is found on Mount Elgon, the Aberdare Range, and Mount Kenya. The Aberdare cisticola (''Cisticola aberdare'') is found only in the Aberdare Mountains and the

Mau Escarpment The Mau Escarpment is a fault scarp running along the western edge of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , ...

Protected areas

Protected areas in the ecoregion include

Aberdare National Park The Aberdare National Park is a protected area in the Aberdare Mountain Range in central Kenya located east of the East African Rift Valley. It covers the higher areas and the Aberdare Salient to the east. Overview The park is located about 10 ...

, Aberdare Forest Reserve,

Mount Kenya National Park Mount Kenya National Park was established in 1949 to protect Mount Kenya, the wildlife and surrounding environment, which forms a habitat for wild animals, as well as acting as an area for the catchment of water, to supply Kenya's water. History ...

, Mount Kenya Forest Reserve, Mount Elgon National Park,

Kilimanjaro National Park Kilimanjaro National Park is a Tanzanian national park, located south of the equator and in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The park is located near the region of Moshi. The park includes the whole of Mount Kilimanjaro above the tree line and th ...

Arusha National Park Arusha National Park covers Mount Meru, a prominent volcano with an elevation of 4566 m, in the Arusha Region of north eastern Tanzania. The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crate ...

, and Kipipiri Forest Reserve."East African Montane Moorlands". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 4 February 2021. https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/31005

External links

*
East African montane moorlands (DOPA)

References

{{reflist Afromontane ecoregions Afrotropical ecoregions Ecoregions of Kenya Ecoregions of Tanzania Ecoregions of Uganda Montane grasslands and shrublands