Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic

Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic
Road to Korogwe, Tanzania
Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic   Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic
Ecology
Realm	Afrotropical
Biome	tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Borders	List East African mangroves Eastern Arc forests Eastern miombo woodlands Northern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets Somali Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets Southern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic
Geography
Area	111,900 km2 (43,200 sq mi)
Countries	Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania
Coordinates	2°27′S 40°21′E / 2.45°S 40.35°E / -2.45; 40.35Coordinates: 2°27′S 40°21′E / 2.45°S 40.35°E / -2.45; 40.35
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/endangered[1]
Global 200	East African Coastal Forests
Protected	18.4%[2]

Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic, also known as the Northern Swahili coastal forests and woodlands,^[3] is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of coastal East Africa. The ecoregion includes a variety of habitats, including forest, savanna and swamps.

Geography[]

The ecoregion extends along the East African coast from southern Somalia through Kenya to the Lukuledi River in Tanzania, which forms its southern boundary. It also encompasses the Zanzibar Archipelago, including Unguja (Zanzibar), Pemba, and the surrounding smaller islands.^[4]

The ecoregion is bounded on the east by the Indian Ocean. It transitions to drier open woodlands and shrublands to the north and west: the Somali Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets in the north, the Northern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets and Southern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets west of the central portion, and the Eastern miombo woodlands to the southwest. To the south, it borders the Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic across the Lukuledi River.

Flora[]

The coastal forest mosaic is made up of several different forest and woodland types,^[5] including:

• Zanzibar–Inhambane lowland rain forest
• Zanzibar–Inhambane undifferentiated forest
• Zanzibar–Inhambane transitional rain forest, a mid-elevation rain forest which includes both lowland species and Afromontane species.
• Zanzibar–Inhambane scrub forest
• Zanzibar–Inhambane scrub forest on coral rag
• Zanzibar–Inhambane transition woodland, a type of miombo woodland.

Fauna[]

The ecoregion is home to ten endemic species of birds. Four are restricted to the island of Pemba – the Pemba green pigeon (Treron pembaensis), Pemba sunbird (Cinnyris pembae), Pemba white-eye (Zosterops vaughani), and Pemba scops owl (Otus pembaensis). The remaining six are found on the mainland. The Tana River cisticola (Cisticola restrictus) is found in the lower Tana River of Kenya. Four endemic species are found in mainland coastal forest remnants – the little yellow flycatcher (Erythrocercus holochlorus), Sokoke pipit (Anthus sokokensis), Clarke's weaver (Ploceus golandi), and Mombasa woodpecker (Campethera mombassica). The Malindi pipit (Anthus melindae) is endemic to the coastal grasslands in Kenya.^[4] The ecoregion corresponds to the East African coastal forests endemic bird area.^[6]

Protected areas[]

18.4% of the ecoregion is in protected areas.^[2] The VECEA team estimated that 7.9% of the 88,640 km² of coastal mosaic in Kenya and Tanzania is within protected areas explicitly designated for biodiversity, species, or landscape protection (IUCN protected area categories I through IV), and 14.8% is in areas designated for both protection and sustainable human use (IUCN protected area categories V and VI).^[5]

Protected areas within the ecoregion include Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve and National Park, Arawale National Reserve, Boni National Reserve, Dodori National Reserve, and Shimba Hills National Reserve in Kenya, and Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, Saadani National Park, Mafia Island Marine Park, part of Udzungwa Mountains National Park, and the eastern portion of Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania.^[4][2]

External links[]

• Eastern Africa Coastal Forests (WWF)
• Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic (WWF)
• Coastal mosaic (Useful Tree Species for Eastern Africa)

References[]