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 Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, extending north into southeastern

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

, northeastern

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It 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 ...

and southwestern

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

and south into

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

along the Kenya-Tanzania border."Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets". ''World Wildlife Fund'' ecoregion profile. Accessed 14 September 2019

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Setting

The ecoregion occupies the middle and upper reaches of Kenya's Tana River (Kenya), Tana River watershed and the closed basins in the Kenyan portion of the

East African Rift The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. It was formerly considered to be part of a l ...

including those of lakes

Magadi Magadi is a town and taluk located in Bengaluru South District , Karnataka, India. History As per a legend, Magadi was founded in 1139 by a Chola king, who, in the course of an expedition, heard that in early times it had been the residence ...

, Naivasha,

Nakuru Nakuru (nicknamed Nax) is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and it is the fourth largest city in Kenya and the largest in the Rift Valley region. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570, ...

, Baringo and the uplands south and west of Turkana. Kenya's capital

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

is in the ecoregion. The Northern ''Acacia''–''Commiphora'' bushlands and thickets are bounded on the southeast by the humid coastal Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic along the lower Tana River and the Indian Ocean coast. To the south and southeast, they transition to the more humid Southern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets. To the east and northeast they transition into the drier Somali Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets and Masai xeric grasslands and shrublands. East Sudanian savanna lies the northwest. In Kenya's mountains, the Acacia–Commiphora bushlands transition to humid East African montane forests at higher elevations.

Flora

The ecoregion is mostly made up of grasslands, savannas and open-canopy woodlands. Species of ''

Vachellia ''Vachellia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, commonly known as thorn trees or acacias. It belongs to the subfamily Mimosoideae. Its species were considered members of genus '' Acacia'' until 2009. ''Vachellia'' ...

'' and ''

Commiphora ''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 (sub-) tropical regions of A ...

'' are the principal trees.

Fauna

Elephants Elephants are the Largest and heaviest animals, largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian ele ...

''(Loxodonta africana)'' are major shapers of the ecoregion, knocking down trees for forage and opening up areas of grassland and savanna. In addition to elephants, large mammals include the Eastern Black Rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis michaeli''), Grevy’s Zebra (''Equus grevyi''), Beisa Oryx (''Oryx beisa''), Gerenuk (''Litocranius walleri'') and Lesser Kudu (''Tragelaphus imberbis'').

Protected areas and conservation

20.46% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include portions of Kenya's South Turkana and Samburu national reserves, Maralal National Sanctuary and Amboseli, Chyulu Hills, Kora, Longonot, Marsabit, Meru,

, Ol Donyo Sabuk, Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks. Tanzania's Umba and Mkomazi Game Reserves are in the ecoregion, as are Uganda's Matheniko and Pian Upe wildlife reserves.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets Afrotropical ecoregions Ecoregions of Ethiopia Ecoregions of Kenya Ecoregions of South Sudan Ecoregions of Tanzania Ecoregions of Uganda Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands