Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

founded in 1927 in

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

. The reserve covers 56,317 hectares. It is operated by the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust. The reserve was designated a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 2000.

Geography

Mulanje Massif The Mulanje Massif, also known as Mount Mulanje, is a large inselberg in southern Malawi. Sapitwa Peak, the highest point on the massif at 3,002 m, is the highest point in Malawi. It lies 65 km east of Blantyre, rising sharply from the ...

rises abruptly from the plains to a high plateau at 1800-1900m, surmounted by rocky peaks. Sapitwa Peak is the highest peak on the plateau and the highest peak in Malawi, with an altitude of 3002m above sea level. It is surrounded by densely populated plains situated at 600m-700m above sea level. The mountain is composed of

syenite Syenite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock with a general composition similar to that of granite, but deficient in quartz, which, if present at all, occurs in relatively small concentrations (< 5%). Some syenites contain larger proport ...

, quartz-

and

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies unde ...

rock materials. This forms a

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

of approximately 500 km². The structure and altitude of the mountain create unique climate for the area, which is characterised by high rainfall from November to April. Moisture-laden Chiperoni winds from the Indian Ocean cool and condense as they climb the mountain's southern slopes, creating fogs that nourish lush forests and tea plantations. This climate favours the development of unique ecology of rare and endemic life forms which contribute to the massif's high biodiversity.

Fauna and flora

Mulanje Massif is an enclave of

Afromontane 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 ...

flora and fauna, which occupies Africa's high altitude areas and is distinctive from the neighboring lowlands. Mulanje is home so many threatened and endangered species, and some

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

ones. The endemic tree ''

Widdringtonia whytei ''Widdringtonia whytei'', the Mulanje cedar or Mulanje cypress, is a species of conifer native to Malawi, where it is endemic to the Mulanje Massif at altitudes of 1,830–2,550 m. It has become endangered as a result of over-harvesting for its ...

'', known as Mulanje Cedar or Mulanje Cypress, has been so heavily logged that it is considered endangered and the park contains the last remaining stands of this tree. Distinctive highland birds include the Thyolo alethe ''(Chamaetylas choloensis)'' and White-winged Apalis''(Apalis chariessa)''. Other distinctive species include the limbless burrowing skink '' Melanoceps ater'' and Ruo River Screeching Frog ''(

Arthroleptis francei ''Arthroleptis francei'' is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi and in Mount Namuli and Mount Mabu in northern Mozambique. Records from the Zomba Massif (Malawi) require confirmation. ...

)'', and the endemic Mount Mulanje Pygmy Chameleon ''( Rhampholeon platyceps)'' and Mulanje Chameleon ''( Nadzikambia mlanjensis)''. The land around the park is threatened by growing population, land use patterns such as forest clearing for farming and firewood, and invasive species such as Mexican Pine ''(

Pinus patula ''Pinus patula'', commonly known as patula pine, spreading-leaved pine, or Mexican weeping pine, and in Spanish as ''pino patula'' or ''pino llorón'', (''patula'' Latin = “spreading”) is a tree native to the highlands of Mexico. It grows f ...

)'' and Himalayan raspberry ''(

Rubus ellipticus ''Rubus ellipticus'', commonly known as ainselu, golden evergreen raspberry, golden Himalayan raspberry, or yellow Himalayan raspberry, is an Asian species of thorny fruiting shrub in the rose family. It is native to China, Nepal, India, Pakistan ...

).''"South Malawi montane forest-grassland mosaic". World Wildlife Fund. Accessed 11 August 2019

/ref>

References

{{Coord, 15.9167, S, 35.5694, E, source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title Biosphere reserves of Malawi Nature conservation in Malawi Protected areas established in 1927 Deforestation Forestry in Malawi Forest reserves of Malawi South Malawi montane forest–grassland mosaic Geography of Southern Region, Malawi