Abstract
The mountain landscapes of Southern Africa are diverse, comprising mountain ranges, massifs, inselbergs, and scattered hills, and range from mesic in the east to hyperarid in the south-west. A common feature of Southern African mountains—regardless of the climatic zone—is exceptionally high biodiversity and endemism, with dominant endemism and diversity in open habitats (Grassland, Fynbos, and Nama-Karoo) that are also important carbon sequestration systems. Historically, they supported prolific megafauna, remnants of which remain in more remote places, and there has been an ongoing reintroduction program in areas where many species were locally extirpated. These mountains also provide various important ecosystem services, including being sources of all of this semiarid region’s major rivers—supplying economic and political centers that are usually distant from the mountains themselves. Some mountains have benefited from extensive formal, protected-area networks due to the need for water security, high biological diversity, and their scenic value, while others lack effective conservation or sustainable forms of utilization. The primary risks to the region’s mountains are alien invasive species; bush encroachment by indigenous woody species; inappropriate fire management/suboptimal fire regimes; overgrazing; conversion of biologically rich montane grasslands to forestry and agriculture; mining; and urban expansion. Climate change is a pervasive background concern given the already water-stressed nature of the region. The establishment of transfrontier protected areas provides an opportunity for improved transboundary research and practitioner collaborations toward a stronger policy voice for Southern African mountains.