The Great Escarpment of southern Africa: a new frontier for biodiversity exploration

Abstract

The biodiversity of the 5,000 km-long Great Escarpment of southern Africa is currently poorly known, despite hosting half of the subcontinent's centres of plant endemism and to have a rich endemic vertebrate fauna, particularly in the north-west and east. A country-based overview of endemism, data deficiencies and conservation challenges is provided, with Angola being the country in most need of Escarpment research and conservation. Given that the Escarpment provides most of the subcontinent's fresh water, protection and restoration of Escarpment habitat providing such ecological services is urgently required. Key research needs are exhaustive biodiversity surveys, systematic studies to test refugia and migration hypotheses, and the effects of modern climate change. Such research results can then be consolidated into effective conservation planning and coordinated international efforts to protect the rich biodiversity of the Escarpment and the ecological services it provides.

Life on high: the diversity of small mammals at high altitude in South Africa

“…Unexplored mountain systems have great biodiversity exploration potential that could lead to the discovery of species new to science. In addition, these areas could vastly improve our understanding of local fauna and flora communities, through ecological and systematic research (Clark et al 2011a).…”

“…One example of a poorly studied mountain system is the Great Escarpment of southern Africa, the major mountain system in South Africa (Clark et al 2011a). Although the Escarpment is known to have areas of high faunal and floral diversity, research has been sporadic and large parts of the escarpment remain under sampled (Clark et al 2009(Clark et al , 2011a.…”

“…Although the Escarpment is known to have areas of high faunal and floral diversity, research has been sporadic and large parts of the escarpment remain under sampled (Clark et al 2009(Clark et al , 2011a. This is especially true for the vertebrate assemblages (Clark et al 2011a). Most studies focussing on small mammal diversity at high altitude in South Africa have been conducted in the Cape Fold and central Drakensberg Mountains ( Fig.…”

A brief botanical survey into Kumbira forest, an isolated patch of Guineo-Congolian biome

“…The total area of these forest patches was estimated to be approximately 200 ha, the best known of which is Mount Moco in Huambo province which provides habitat for its flora and avifauna (Huntley 1974, Olmos 2008 unpub., Maiato 2009, Mills 2010). The Angolan escarpment with approximately 1000 km of extent is unique, beautiful and constitutes the section of the Great Escarpment of Southern Africa poorly known in terms of its biodiversity, but high level of endemism (Huntley and Matos 1994, Figueiredo 2008, Clark 2011). …”

A rapid multi-disciplinary biodiversity assessment of the Kamdebooberge (Sneeuberg, Eastern Cape, South Africa): implications for conservation

“…The Sneeuberg forms part of the overall poorly explored southern African Great Escarpment, and was recently recognised as a new centre of floristic endemism (Clark et al 20092011; Figure 1), and as a distinct zoogeographical unit within the Greater Maputaland–Pondoland–Albany region of vertebrate endemism (Perera et al 2011). The Kamdebooberge themselves have become increasingly interesting following the discovery in 2008 of two new, very localised plant taxa, two of which belong to genera previously unknown from these drier southern Great Escarpment mountains (e.g.…”