Malawi Hill (47058)
Malawi, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, B1

Year of last assessment: 2024

National site name: Malawi Hill

Central coordinates: Latitude: -16.9718, Longitude: 35.1529

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 550 to 900

Area of KBA (km²): 0.59037

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: No

Site details

Site description: The Malawi Hills of Mabunga and Mwanamweli lie west of the lower Shire Valley in the Natundu Hills range, near Nsanje, southern Malawi. The hills rise from 550m to 900m above sea level. They were once covered by dense rainforest, particularly on the southeastern slopes between 700m and 900m (Dowsett-Lemaire et al 2001). According to a recent study by Tolley et al. (2021), most of the forest has been cleared and transformed into agriculture, leaving disjointed forest patches. The endemic Chapman's pygmy chameleon species (Rhampholeon chapmanorum) occurs in the remaining patches at the highest elevations of Malawi Hill. The species was believed to have been extinct until a recent study by Tolley et al. (2019) discovered that it is still present.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance, with one reptile species, Rhampholeon chapmanorum, meeting criteria A1a and B1 as described in the Global Standard for identifying KBAs.

Additional biodiversity: The forest is characterised by emergent tall trees such as Burttdavya nyasica, Khaya nyassica, and Newtonia buchananii. The lower stratum is in perpetual shade with the ground covered by a broad-leaved forest grass Leptaspis chochleata (Tilbury, 1992). Small trees such as Rinorea ilicifolia, including Spanish moss, are common and provide suitable habitats for Rhampholeon chameleons.

Manageability of the site: The two forest patches fall under customary land managed by the bordering community. The Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi (WESM), with support from the Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO), started engaging the bordering community at a small scale in 2020, for the possibility of conserving these degrading forest patches to protect the chameleon species. However, these efforts require further financial support and stakeholder collaboration. There are no management plans and no clear status of other species.

Supersedes another site: N/A

Other site values: The hills are subject to customary user rights and serve as sources of fuelwood and timber to the surrounding community. However, the lack of gazettement or prescribed management regimes has led to uncontrolled exploitation of the forests.

Delineation rationale: This is based on the species distribution map at Mabunga and Mwanambweli forest patches, as shown by Tolly et al. (2021).

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: The Malawi Hills forest type is typically lowland seasonal rainforest, with an average rainfall of 1,500 mm and a mean annual temperature of 21 to 24 degrees Celsius. The forest is characterised by emergent tall trees such as Burttdavya nyasica, Khaya nyassica, and Newtonia buchananii. The lower stratum is in perpetual shade, with the ground covered by a broad-leaved forest grass, Leptaspis chochleata (Tilbury, 1992). Other common plant species include Rinorea ilicifolia and Spanish moss. However, the forest extent in the Malawi Hills has reduced by 80% from about 196 ha in 1984 to about 40 ha in 2019. Currently, Mabunga forest is the largest intact patch, 16.6 ha from the initial 35 ha, while Mwanamweli has two patches measuring 16.5 ha and 5.25 ha respectively (Tolley).

Land use: The Mabunga and Mwanambweli forest patches are under customary use rights managed by the bordering community. The forest provides fuel wood and timber, and the larger part has been converted to agriculture. No management plans or formal legislation guide the conservation of the remaining forest patches.

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Savanna	20	Savanna - Dry
Forest	80	Forest – Subtropical/tropical dry

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Habitat loss and fragmentation have resulted in an 80% reduction in forest extent from 196 ha in 1984 to about 40 ha in 2019. The extent of the Malawi Hills forest was previously estimated at 400 ha, double the 1984 estimate, suggesting a substantial historical discrepancy. The forest loss correlates with the dramatic population decline of the Rhampholeon chapmanorum at the site. The disruption of gene flow as a result of forest fragmentation may lead to a loss of genetic diversity if the current trends continue unabated. Further, increasing human population pressures, agricultural expansion into marginal lands, and ongoing deforestation exacerbate the risk of habitat loss, which in turn heightens the probability of species extinction for the remaining forest-dependent fauna.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Small-holder farming	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing

Additional information

References: Tilbury, C. (1992). A new dwarf forest chameleon ( Sauria : Rhampholeon Günther 1874 ) from Malawi , central Africa. November. https://doi.org/10.1080/03946975.1992.10539176 Tolley, K.A. 2021. Rhampholeon chapmanorum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T172568A197246585. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021- 1.RLTS.T172568A197246585.en Tolly, Krystal A.; Tilbury, Colin R.; DA Silva, Jessica M.; Brown, Gary; Chapeta, Yankho; Anderson, C. V. (2021). Clinging to survival: Critically Endangered Chapman’s pygmy chameleon Rhampholeon chapmanorum persists in shrinking forest patches. 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000952