The Somali ''Acacia''–''Commiphora'' bushlands and thickets is a semi-arid tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in the Horn of Africa. It is home to diverse communities of plants and animals, including several endemic species.

Setting

The Somali ''Acacia''–''Commiphora'' bushlands and thickets ecoregion occupies most of the Horn of Africa east and south of the

Ethiopian Highlands The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below , while the summits reach heights of up to . ...

, including eastern Ethiopia's

Haud The Haud (also Hawd) (, ), formerly known as the Hawd Reserve Area is a plateau situated in the Horn of Africa consisting of thorn-bush and grasslands. The region includes the southern part of Somaliland as well as the northern and eastern part ...

plateau and adjacent parts of Somaliland, Somalia and northeastern Kenya. It also extends along the floor of the East African Rift, bisecting the Ethiopian highlands, and along the northeastern edge of the highlands into Eritrea and Sudan. The ecoregion is bounded on the southwest by the

Northern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets The Northern ''Acacia''–''Commiphora'' bushlands and thickets are a tropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands ecoregion in eastern Africa. The ecoregion is mostly located in Kenya, extending north into southeastern South Sudan, northeastern ...

and the Masai xeric grasslands and shrublands. To the south, it is bounded by the humid

Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic, also known as the Northern Swahili coastal forests and woodlands, is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of coastal East Africa. The ecoregion includes a variety of habitats, including f ...

in the lower

Shebelle The Shebelle River ( so, Webi Shabeelle, ar, نهر شبيلي, am, እደላ) begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where it follows the coast. ...

–

Jubba River The Jubba River or Juba River ( so, Wabiga Jubba) is a river in southern Somalia which flows through the autonomous region of Jubaland. It begins at the border with Ethiopia, where the Dawa and Ganale Dorya rivers meet, and flows directly south ...

valley. The

Hobyo grasslands and shrublands The Hobyo grasslands and shrublands is a desert and xeric scrubland ecoregion in Somalia. The ecoregion includes a belt of coastal dunes, 10 to 15 km wide, along the Indian Ocean coast, extending from north of Hobyo to south of Mogadishu. G ...

occupy a narrow strip of coastal dunes along Somalia's central Indian Ocean coast. To the northeast, the

Somali montane xeric woodlands The Somali montane xeric shrublands is a desert and xeric scrubland ecoregion in Somalia. The ecoregion lies in the rugged Karkaar Mountains, which run parallel and close to Somalia's northern coast on the Gulf of Aden, and follows coast from C ...

occupy the

Ogo Mountains The Ogo Mountains, also known as the Galgodon Highlands, (, ) are a mountain range in Somaliland. They cross the Sanaag and Togdheer regions. With a mean peak height of , the ecology of this landform is semi-desert. Ecology Due to the Ogo ...

along Somaliland's northern coast, and the

Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands The Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands ecoregion is a semi-desert strip on or near the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden coasts in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland. This ecoregion lies mainly between sea level and 800 meters (m) eleva ...

occupy the lowlands along the Red Sea. Between 1100 and 1500 meters elevation in the Ethiopian Higlands, the Acacia–Commiphora woodlands transition to the

Ethiopian montane forests The Ethiopian montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in eastern Africa. It covers the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands in Ethiopia and extends into neighboring Eritrea, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somaliland. The ecore ...

Climate

The ecoregion has a hot semi-arid to

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

. Rainfall ranges from below 100 mm annually in the Ogaden to 600 mm on the lower slopes of the Ethiopian Highlands. Rainfall can be erratic and vary widely from year to year.

Flora

The plant communities include woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, and thickets. The predominant trees are deciduous species of '' Acacia'' and ''

Commiphora The genus of the myrrhs, ''Commiphora'', is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the ...

'', with a low herbaceous understory. '' Dactyloctenium aegyptium'' and ''

Panicum turgidum ''Panicum turgidum'' is an old world clumping desert bunchgrass of the genus '' Panicum''. It is a plant of arid regions across Africa and Asia, and has been introduced to other parts of the world. Description ''Panicum turgidum'' is a perennia ...

'' are the principal grass species. Where rainfall is lower, the ''Acacia–Commiphora'' woodlands yield to low bushlands and grasslands.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to many species of gazelle, including the endemic

dibatag The dibatag (''Ammodorcas clarkei''), or Clarke's gazelle, is a medium-sized slender antelope native to Ethiopia and Somalia. Though not a true gazelle, it is similarly marked, with long legs and neck. It is often confused with the gerenuk due ...

(''Ammodorcas clarkei'', VU), beira (''Dorcatragus megalotis'', VU),

hirola The hirola (''Beatragus hunteri''), also called the Hunter's hartebeest or Hunter's antelope, is a critically endangered antelope species found on the border between Kenya and Somalia. It was first described by the big game hunter and zoologist ...

(''Damaliscus hunteri'', CR) and

Speke's gazelle Speke's gazelle (''Gazella spekei'') is the smallest of the gazelle species. It is confined to the Horn of Africa, where it inhabits stony brush, grass steppes, and semi deserts. This species has been sometimes regarded as a subspecies of the Dor ...

(''Gazella spekei'', VU).

Protected areas and conservation

10.88% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include

Yangudi Rassa National Park Yangudi Rassa National Park ( am, ያንጉዲ ራሳ ብሔራዊ ፓርክ, translit=yanigudī rasa biḥērawī pariki) is a national park in Ethiopia located in Afar Region. Geography Its of territory include Mount Yangudi () near the souther ...

Nechisar National Park Nechisar National Park (or Nech Sar National Park) is a national park in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia. It is in the Great Rift Valley, within the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands. Geography The pa ...

Awash National Park Awash National Park is a national park in Ethiopia. Located at the border of Oromia state and Afar state, the park covers an area of 827 square kilometers, most of it lies at an altitude of 900 meters. Spanning across the southern tip of the ...

Omo National Park Omo National Park is a national park in Ethiopia founded in 1980. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region on the west bank of the Omo River, the park covers approximately 4,068 square kilometers, about 870 kilometers so ...

Mago National Park Mago may refer to: Places *Mago Island, an island in Fiji * Mago, Minorca, a Carthaginian and later Roman town in Menorca * Mago, Russia, a rural locality (a settlement) in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia * Mago National Park, in Ethiopia ** Mount Mago a ...

Borena National Park Borana National Park (also known as Borena National Park) is a national park in southern Ethiopia. The national park was established in 2017 and is one of Ethiopia's largest protected areas.Nigatu, Tesfaye. (2016). POTENTIALITY ASSESSMENT FOR EC ...

Chelbi Wildlife Reserve Chelbi Wildlife Reserve or Stephanie Wildlife Reserve is a protected area in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region."Chelbi Wildlife Reserve". Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) Culture and Tourism ...

Babille Elephant Sanctuary The Babile Elephant Sanctuary is a protected area and wildlife sanctuary in eastern Ethiopia. It is located in Babille district, East Hararghe Zone of Oromia Region, which lies 560 km east of Addis Ababa and 40 km south of Harar. Geography ...

, Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary, and Yabello Sanctuary in Ethiopia, Malka Mari National Park in Kenya, and the Alifuuto Nature Reserve in Somalia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somali acacia-commiphora bushlands and thickets Afrotropical ecoregions Ecoregions of Eritrea Ecoregions of Ethiopia Ecoregions of Kenya Ecoregions of Somalia Ecoregions of Sudan Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Ecoregions of Somaliland