Zimbabwe’s forests: Mountain forest and grassland

Bananas and other crops have replaced natural vegetation in some areas. Image credit zadt.co.zw

• This is found in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.
• Temperature are generally below 20°C while rainfall is over 1 500 mm.
• The altitude is generally above 1 200metres above sea level.
• The Highlands have a more equable climate than Zimbabwe’s central plateau,
• with higher rainfall,
• low cloud and heavy mists and dew as moisture moves inland from the Indian Ocean.
• Many streams and rivers originate in these mountains
• Vegetation varies with altitude but the main species found around areas like Chirinda forest near Mt Selinda are mahogany and musasa.
• Some areas consists of rolling hills covered with grassland
• The grass renews itself annually following the fires that occur at the end of the dry season
• The east-facing slopes of valleys e.g. Honde Valley contain areas of tropical rainforest, with a high canopy, lianas, and a dense undergrowth
• There are larger areas of dry forest at higher altitudes in places where the ground is well watered and on drier slopes patches of Brachystegia spiciformis (Musasa/Mutondo), Brachystegia tamarindoides (Mu’unze) and Uapaca kirkiana (mizhanje)
• There are also areas of heathland at higher elevations
• A lot of other flora and fauna also grow in this area
• Howevever in some of the areas a lot of the natural vegetation in this zone has been replaced by:
• coffee,
• pines and
• wattle.

 To access more topics go to the O Level Geography Notes page