Service Contract No 2007 / 147-446 Strategic ... - Swaziland

There are four ecosystems in Swaziland: (1) montane grasslands, (2) savanna-woodlandmosaic, (3) forests, and (4) aquatic systems. The savanna-woodland mosaic is the dominantecosystem, covering the central and lower parts of the country, followed by the montanegrasslands (mainly in the Highveld); together, both of these ecosystems comprise 94% of thecountry.Considering its small size, Swaziland is very rich in biodiversity, and species compositionvaries greatly between ecosystems. The information base for the biodiversity in Swaziland isstill incomplete, buy surveys have shown that a significant portion of Southern African plantand animal species occur in the country. For example, the eastern region of Swaziland formspart of the Maputo land centre of plant diversity, one of the world’s hotspots of flora andfauna richness and endemism, whilst the western region falls under another area of globalsignificance, the Drakensburg Escarpment Endemic Bird Area.To date over 820 species of vertebrates and 2,414 species of plants have been recorded forSwaziland, including 18 endemic species of plants and one endemic vertebrate.Figure 2:Agro-ecological zones in SwazilandRDMU (Strategic Environmental Assessment of the National Adaptation Strategy) - Page 22