SOUTH EAST AFRICA MONTANE ARCHIPELAGO (SEAMA): A HUB OF BIODIVERSITY

TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Groundbreaking research spanning over two decades has revealed a treasure trove of biodiversity in a previously unrecognized ecoregion in southern Africa.

EXPLANATION:

• It was led by Professor Julian Bayliss and involving around 100 specialists from across the globe, the study documented an astounding array of previously undocumented species, including 127 plant species and 90 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, butterflies, and freshwater crabs.
• What sets these discoveries apart is that all these species are endemic to the region, found nowhere else on Earth.

SEAMA:

• The newly identified ecoregion, dubbed the South East Africa Montane Archipelago (SEAMA), stretches from northern Mozambique to Mount Mulanje in Malawi.
• These mountains, formed millions of years ago, host a diverse range of ecosystems, from expansive mid-elevation rainforests to unique montane grasslands.
• Notably, Mount Mabu boasts the largest mid-elevation rainforest in southern Africa, while Mount Lico holds the distinction of being home to the smallest.

Ecological Significance and Conservation Challenges

• Despite its ecological significance, the SEAMA faces severe threats.
• Over the past two decades, the region has witnessed alarming rates of deforestation, with a fifth of its rainforest extent lost, and nearly half in some areas.
• Pressures from slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, and resource extraction exacerbate the vulnerability of these ecosystems.
• While some areas, like Mount Mabu, benefit from local community protection, others lack formal safeguards, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

Calls for Conservation Action

• The study’s findings underscore the urgent need for conservation efforts to safeguard the SEAMA’s unique biodiversity.
• The importance of protecting this understudied ecoregion, highlighting the potential for further discoveries and its relevance to global conservation initiatives has been emphasised.
• Efforts to engage local communities in conservation, similar to successful endeavors at Mount Mabu, are deemed essential for long-term sustainability.

International Support and Collaboration

• The role of national and international finance in supporting conservation initiatives in the SEAMA has been emphasised.
• Recognizing the global importance of the region’s biodiversity, Dr. Paul Smith calls for international support to bolster conservation efforts.
• Transboundary conservation initiatives between Mozambique and Malawi offer promising avenues for collaboration, fostering a shared commitment to conservation across borders.

Archipelago:

• An archipelago is a group of islands closely scattered in a body of water. Usually, this body of water is the ocean, but it can also be a lake or river.
• Most archipelagoes are made of oceanic islands. This means the islands were formed by volcanoes erupting from the ocean floor. An archipelago made up of oceanic islands is called an island arc.
• Many island arcs were formed over a single “hot spot.” The Earth’s crust shifted while the hot spot stayed put, creating a line of islands that show exactly the direction the crust moved.

Examples of Archipelago:

• The Hawaiian Islands continue to form this way, with a hot spot remaining relatively stable while the Pacific tectonic plate moves northwest.
• There are 137 Hawaiian islands, reefs and atolls, stretching from Kure and Midway in the west to the “Big Island” of Hawaii in the east.
• The Big Island is still being formed by the active volcanoes Mauna Loa and Kilauea.
• The island arc will grow as Loihi, a seamount southeast of the Big Island, eventually punctures the ocean surface as Hawaii’s youngest island.
• Japan is another island arc. The Japanese archipelago consists of four large islands, from Hokkaido, in the far north, through Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in the far south.
• Japan also includes more than 3,000 smaller islands. In several places in the Japanese archipelago, volcanoes are still active.
• Volcanoes do not form all archipelagoes. Many archipelagoes are continental islands formed only after the last ice age.
• As glaciers retreated, sea levels rose and low-lying valleys were flooded. Coastal mountain ranges became archipelagoes just off the mainland.
• The largest archipelago in the world was formed by glacial retreat.

SOURCE: https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-hundreds-of-unique-species-in-africas-newest-ecoregion/