A biogeographical appraisal of the threatened South East Africa Montane Archipelago ecoregion

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  • Julian Bayliss
  • Gabriela B. Bittencourt-Silva
  • William R. Branch
  • Carl Bruessow
  • Steve Collins
  • T. Colin E. Congdon
  • Werner Conradie
  • Michael Curran
  • Savel R. Daniels
  • Iain Darbyshire
  • Lincoln Fishpool
  • Geoffrey Grantham
  • Zacharia Magombo
  • Hermenegildo Matimele
  • Ara Monadjem
  • Jose Monteiro
  • Jo Osborne
  • Justin Saunders
  • Paul Smith
  • Claire N. Spottiswoode
  • Peter J. Taylor
  • Jonathan Timberlake
  • Krystal A. Tolley
  • Érica Tovela
  • Philip J. Platts
Recent biological surveys of ancient inselbergs in southern Malawi and northern Mozambique have led to the discovery and description of many species new to science, and overlapping centres of endemism across multiple taxa. Combining these endemic taxa with data on geology and climate, we propose the ‘South East Africa Montane Archipelago’ (SEAMA) as a distinct ecoregion of global biological importance. The ecoregion encompasses 30 granitic inselbergs reaching > 1000 m above sea level, hosting the largest (Mt Mabu) and smallest (Mt Lico) mid-elevation rainforests in southern Africa, as well as biologically unique montane grasslands. Endemic taxa include 127 plants, 45 vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and 45 invertebrate species (butterflies, freshwater crabs), and two endemic genera of plants and reptiles. Existing dated phylogenies of endemic animal lineages suggests this endemism arose from divergence events coinciding with repeated isolation of these mountains from the pan-African forests, together with the mountains’ great age and relative climatic stability. Since 2000, the SEAMA has lost 18% of its primary humid forest cover (up to 43% in some sites)—one of the highest deforestation rates in Africa. Urgently rectifying this situation, while addressing the resource needs of local communities, is a global priority for biodiversity conservation.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer5971
TidsskriftScientific Reports
Vol/bind14
Antal sider16
ISSN2045-2322
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2024

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
Research and collection permissions were provided by Museu de História Natural Maputo Moçambique; provinces of Zambézia and Nampula (Provincial Directorate of Land, Environment and Rural Development); Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM); and the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM). Specimens and samples were collected under institutional permits issued by the provinces of Zambezia, Nampula and Niassa (129-DPAN2014, 507DPAZ/SPFFB/420/2014, 710/DPTADER/NPL/REP/2017, 282/DPTADERZ/GD/SPFFB/420) and under export permits from the Museu de Historia Natural—Maputo (315/MHN/E.24/2014, No.08/2018, No.21/2018). Ethics clearance was also obtained from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (#001-2014 and #001-2015). The field work was undertaken through the following grants: Darwin Initiative (Project ref: 15-036); Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund-Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, project #62584; Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund-Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot Small Grant S16-375-MOZ; National Geographic Society-Committee for Research and Exploration grants (# 9281-13 & 9934-16); the Global Challenges Research Fund pump-priming award (GCRF QR) administered by the University of York. Financial support also provided by the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Kew, Transglobe Expedition Trust (TET), Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT), African Butterfly Research Institute (ABRI), the Jonathan and Jennifer Oppenheimer Foundation, Stephen and Margaret Lansdown, BBC World Service and Natural History Unit (NHU), BirdLife International, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Grain Media, Google Inc, Biofund, Rainforest Trust, and the Bayliss Family. The following people have contributed to the field work and logistical support in the establishment of SEAMA: Tereza Alves, Susana Baena, Ivan Bampton, Aurélio Banze, Jeff Barbie, Matthias De Beenhouwer, Carlos Bento, Saheba Bhatnagar, Clemie Borgstein, Anton Bowring, Ana Gledis da Conceição, Katrina Cook, Madyo Couto, Ron Demey, Gimo M. Daniel, Tim Davenport, Francoise and Robert Dowsett-Lemaire, Ruben Foquet, Jorge Francisco, Hanlie Engelbrecht, Jonah Fisher, Tim Harris, Martin Hassan, Eric Herrmann, Samuel Jones, Mirjam Kopp, Dave Langerman, Bruce Liggitt, Simon Loader, Stephen Mphamba, Michele Menegon, Vanessa Muianga, David Nangoma, Bruno Nhancale, David Njagi, Hassam Patel, Lucas Sabão, Mike Scott, Khangela Safaris, Camila de Sousa, Malaika Sacranie, Reza Sacranie, Antonio Serra, Neil Shaw, Barnet Tippa, Antonia Windsor, Sir David Attenborough (BBC NHU Africa series episode 4), and Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The article processing charge (APC) for this publication was kindly provided by Allan Bayliss and T. Colin E. Congdon, with support from Oxford Brookes University.

Funding Information:
Research and collection permissions were provided by Museu de História Natural Maputo Moçambique; provinces of Zambézia and Nampula (Provincial Directorate of Land, Environment and Rural Development); Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM); and the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM). Specimens and samples were collected under institutional permits issued by the provinces of Zambezia, Nampula and Niassa (129-DPAN2014, 507DPAZ/SPFFB/420/2014, 710/DPTADER/NPL/REP/2017, 282/DPTADERZ/GD/SPFFB/420) and under export permits from the Museu de Historia Natural—Maputo (315/MHN/E.24/2014, No.08/2018, No.21/2018). Ethics clearance was also obtained from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (#001-2014 and #001-2015). The field work was undertaken through the following grants: Darwin Initiative (Project ref: 15-036); Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund-Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, project #62584; Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund-Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot Small Grant S16-375-MOZ; National Geographic Society-Committee for Research and Exploration grants (# 9281-13 & 9934-16); the Global Challenges Research Fund pump-priming award (GCRF QR) administered by the University of York. Financial support also provided by the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Kew, Transglobe Expedition Trust (TET), Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT), African Butterfly Research Institute (ABRI), the Jonathan and Jennifer Oppenheimer Foundation, Stephen and Margaret Lansdown, BBC World Service and Natural History Unit (NHU), BirdLife International, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Grain Media, Google Inc, Biofund, Rainforest Trust, and the Bayliss Family. The following people have contributed to the field work and logistical support in the establishment of SEAMA: Tereza Alves, Susana Baena, Ivan Bampton, Aurélio Banze, Jeff Barbie, Matthias De Beenhouwer, Carlos Bento, Saheba Bhatnagar, Clemie Borgstein, Anton Bowring, Ana Gledis da Conceição, Katrina Cook, Madyo Couto, Ron Demey, Gimo M. Daniel, Tim Davenport, Francoise and Robert Dowsett-Lemaire, Ruben Foquet, Jorge Francisco, Hanlie Engelbrecht, Jonah Fisher, Tim Harris, Martin Hassan, Eric Herrmann, Samuel Jones, Mirjam Kopp, Dave Langerman, Bruce Liggitt, Simon Loader, Stephen Mphamba, Michele Menegon, Vanessa Muianga, David Nangoma, Bruno Nhancale, David Njagi, Hassam Patel, Lucas Sabão, Mike Scott, Khangela Safaris, Camila de Sousa, Malaika Sacranie, Reza Sacranie, Antonio Serra, Neil Shaw, Barnet Tippa, Antonia Windsor, Sir David Attenborough (BBC NHU Africa series episode 4), and Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The article processing charge (APC) for this publication was kindly provided by Allan Bayliss and T. Colin E. Congdon, with support from Oxford Brookes University.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

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