in the background The Ethiopian Highlands share a similar flora and fauna to other mountainous regions of Africa; this distinctive flora and fauna is known as
Afromontane, but from the time of the last
ice age the region has been populated with some Eurasian (
palearctic) flora. The habitats are somewhat different on either side of the Great Rift Valley which splits the highlands. At lower elevations, the highlands are surrounded by
tropical savannas and grasslands, including the
Sahelian acacia savanna to the northwest and the
East Sudanian savanna to the west. forest The highlands themselves are divided into three distinct
ecoregions, distinguished by elevation. The
Ethiopian montane forests lie between 1,100 and 1,800 meters elevation, above the lowland grasslands and savannas, and extend to areas of similar habitat in Eritrea, Sudan, and Djibouti. This woodland belt has several natural plant communities, but has mostly been heavily grazed and converted to agricultural use now.
Kolla is an open woodland found at lower elevations, and is dominated by species of
Terminalia,
Commiphora,
Boswellia, and
Acacia.
Weyna dega is a woodland found in moister and higher locations, dominated by the
conifers Afrocarpus gracilior and
Juniperus procera. The lower portion of the
Harenna Forest is a distinct woodland community, with an open canopy of
Warburgia ugandensis,
Croton macrostachyus,
Syzygium guineense, and
Afrocarpus gracilior, with
wild coffee (
Coffea arabica) as the dominant understory shrub. The southwesterly winds bring rainfall from May to October with moisture from the Red Sea coming in from the east year round. Fauna at these elevations includes the endemic
Harwood's spurfowl (
Pternistis harwoodi), Prince
Ruspoli's turaco (
Tauraco ruspolii) and
yellow-throated seedeater (
Serinus flavigula) The
Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands is the largest of the highland ecoregions, occupying the area between 1,800 and 3,000 meters elevation. The natural vegetation was closed-canopy forest in moister areas, and grassland, bushland, and thicket in drier areas. However these hillsides have good fertile soil and are heavily populated, largely by farming communities, so most of the region has been converted to agriculture with a few areas of natural vegetation remaining. Urban areas in this ecoregion include: Ethiopia's capital city and Africa's fourth largest city
Addis Ababa, the
Amhara Region capital
Bahir Dar with its island monasteries on
Lake Tana, the old walled city of
Harar, the spa town of
Ambo,
Asella in the
Arsi Zone, the trekking center of
Dodola, the lakeside
Bishoftu, the largest city in the southwest
Jimma, the market town of
Nekemte, and the capital of the
Tigray Region,
Mek'ele.
Awash National Park is a site for birdwatching. Remaining woodland in the drier areas contains much endemic flora and primarily consists of the conifers
Afrocarpus falcatus and
Juniperus procera, often with the broadleaved
Hagenia abyssinica. In the
Harenna Forest, pockets of moist, closed-canopy forest with
Aningeria and
Olea are draped with
lianas and
epiphytes, while above 2,400 meters, a shrubby zone is home to
Hagenia,
Astropanax, and giant
lobelias (
Lobelia gibberroa), species which can be found on the
East African mountains further south. The evergreen broadleaved forest of the
Semien Mountains, between 2,300 and 2,700 meters elevation, is dominated by
Syzygium guineense,
Arundinarial, Juniperus procera, and
Olea africana. As the lower slopes of the mountains are so heavily populated, even the high altitude moorlands are affected by human interference, such as the grazing of livestock and even farming. There are two protected areas of high moorland:
Bale Mountains National Park in the southern highlands, accessible from
Dinsho; and
Simien Mountains National Park, accessible from
Gondar, which includes Ras Dashen. However, even these parks are losing habitat to livestock grazing, while the lower elevation parks (
Harar Wildlife Sanctuary,
Awash National Park,
Omo National Park, and
Nechisar National Park) are even less secure. Above 3,000 meters elevation lie the high
Ethiopian montane moorlands, the largest
Afroalpine region in Africa. The montane moorlands lie above the tree line, and consist of grassland and
moorland with abundant herbs and some shrubs that have adapted to the high mountain conditions. In Ethiopia, Afroalpine and Sub-Afroalpine vegetations are found in the Highlands of Semein and Highlands of Bale. ==Fauna==