Mozambique Protects the ‘Butterfly Forest’ of Mount Mabu, Home to 200 Species.
Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries created a 9,341-hectare community conservation area on Mount Mabu, a forest with more than 200 butterfly taxa, and placed its stewardship with local communities.
Mozambique has formally protected Mount Mabu, a forest in the Lugela district of northern Mozambique known for endemic wildlife and more than 200 butterfly species, Mongabay reports. A decree published on Aug. 24 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries created the Mount Mabu Community Conservation Area, which covers 9,341 hectares (23,082 acres). Stewardship of the land went to the local communities that have preserved the forest for generations.
Julian Bayliss, an ecologist who led several surveys over 20 years that helped build the case for protection, said “It's a great relief.” He described Mabu as hosting the largest continuous block of medium-altitude forest left in southern Africa. According to Bayliss, its steep ridges and valleys create microclimates and isolated plant and animal populations that evolved over millions of years, in some cases into species found nowhere else.
The site is nicknamed the “butterfly forest.” Every October and November, hundreds of butterflies gather in the morning on the 1,700-meter (5,577-foot) summit in a mating behavior called hilltopping. Naturalist David Attenborough documented it in 2013. Scientists have recorded more than 200 butterfly taxa at Mabu and say further surveys could raise the count to 250. Since 2005, more than 30 species, including frogs, chameleons, bats and insects, have been discovered in the forests there.
Bayliss and colleagues most recently described Iolaus mabuensis, a cobalt-blue butterfly found by a team he led in 2008. Only one specimen has been collected so far. Bayliss was also the first scientist to encounter the Mount Mabu forest viper, described in 2009, after he accidentally stepped on one under leaf litter.
The decree dedicates the land to the protection, conservation and sustainable use of natural resources by local communities. Specific restrictions on activities are expected to be set in a community management plan, which has not yet been finalized. A 2024 conservation area proposal reviewed by Mongabay names small-scale agriculture and logging as the main threats, but describes the area as well conserved and treated as sacred by locals. José Monteiro of ReGeCom, one of the organizations working with the communities, said, “The community, over a long time, kept the forest standing.”
Note: The headline says the forest is home to 200 species. The page says more than 200 butterfly taxa have been recorded, and that over 30 other species, including frogs, chameleons, bats and insects, have been discovered since 2005.
At a Glance
- The decree was published Aug. 24 by Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries.
- The Mount Mabu Community Conservation Area covers 9,341 hectares (23,082 acres) in the Lugela district.
- Scientists have recorded more than 200 butterfly taxa at Mabu and think the total could reach 250.
- More than 30 species, including frogs, chameleons, bats and insects, have been discovered at Mabu since 2005.
- The community management plan, which will define any activity restrictions, has not yet been finalized.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.