Plants Most of the reserve is covered by undisturbed grassland and wooded grassland. Small areas of
riverine woodland,
kopjes also exist. Some land is cultivated, and especially the area near the Greek River is threatened by conversion. Dominant tree species are
red acacia and
desert date. Also present are
bushwillows,
Harrisonia abyssinica and
Gymnosporia senegalensis. Shrubs include
butterfly pea and
woolly caper bush. Cultivated areas have many live fences of
yellow oleander. Common grasses in the grassland are
thatching grass and
Setaria species. Less common are
beard grasses and
lemon grasses. Along the rivers
Setaria incrassata and
red nut sedge dominate. The lower vegetation layer burns every year.
Large mammals Although the area once supported healthy populations of
lions,
elephants,
black rhinos and
giraffes, these are now locally extinct. The last giraffe was reportedly poached in 1995. In October 2019 15 giraffes from
Murchison Falls National Park where reintroduced in the reserve by
UWA. Populations of
plains zebra,
common eland, are also threatened
Grants gazelle. The most commonly sighted mammal in the reserve is the
oribi. Others known to inhabit the area (as of 1996) include:
Reptiles Pian Upe is home to enormous
rock pythons and smaller but venomous
puff adders. Harmless
water snakes are also found there. The largest
lizards in Pian Upe are the
Savannah monitors. Others in the reserve include the
common agama as well as skinks, chameleons and geckos. ==References==