Useful Tree Species for Eastern Africa

a species selection tool based on the VECEA Map



Montane Ericaceous belt (E)

Description

White (1983) refers to Afromontane evergreen bushland and thickets that occur on most of the higher African mountains and that characteristically occupy a large part of the Ericaceous mountain belt. They are also found on the crests and summits of smaller mountains (especially those that are situated close to the ocean or a large lake) or locally on shallow soils within the Afromontane forest belt. Where the ground is not very rocky and has been protected for several years, such as on wetter mountains as the Ruwenzori Mts., almost impenetrable thickets of 3 to 13 m are formed. On drier and rocky slopes, the vegetation is an open community of bushes that is often discontinuous and merges into Afromontane shrubland. Afromontane evergreen bushland and thicket varies greatly in floristic composition, but species of the Blaeria, Erica and Vaccinium Ericaceae genera are nearly always present and sometimes exclusively dominant (White 1983 p. 167 - 168).


I.Friis and Sebsebe Demissew 2005; Figure 7.1 in VECEA Volume 4

Useful woody species

The main species recorded to occur within this vegetation type are listed below. Clicking the name of any of these species will open the page for that species on the Agroforestry Species Switchboard.

For more detailed information about the species occurrences see this excel workbook. It provides country specific information on species composition for this vegetation type. It also allows you to select a subset of useful tree species to provide desired products and services. For each species links to a number of websites / databases with information about this species are provided as well.

Conservation status

The table shows the area (km2) of the PNV is outside the protected areas (NP) and the area protected within one of the protected areas, split by IUCN management category. Only the nationally designated protected areas were included.

PNVIIIVVINCNPSum
E1,9272811,2614985,3749,341
E/Fc00055055
Sum1,9272811,2615535,3749,396
IUCNEE/FcSum
II1,92701,927
IV2810281
VI1,26101,261
NC49855553
NP5,37405,374
Sum9,341559,396

Ia - Strict nature reserve, Ib - Wilderness area, II - National park, III - Natural monument or feature, IV - Habitat/species management area, V - Protected landscape/seascape, VI - Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources, NC - unclassified or not assigned, NP - outside the protected areas

Links

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