Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot

It stretches from the Albany Centre of Plant Endemism in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, through the Pondoland Centre of Plant Endemism and KwaZulu-Natal Province, the eastern side of Eswatini (known as Swaziland until 2018) and into southern Mozambique and Mpumalanga.

[5] Most of the endemic vertebrates in the ecoregion inhabit the forests and grasslands, and many have niche habitat requirements such as rocky outcrops or marshy areas within these larger biomes; the Sloggett's vlei rat and the Natal red rock hare are quite widespread in the area while the woodbush legless skink and the robust golden mole have narrower habitat requirements.

However, there are many notable species: antelopes, felines, primates, rhinos, which are not endemic but very representative of protected areas, particularly in Maputaland.

[7] This is particularly the case of the southern subspecies of the White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) which was once widely distributed in southern and eastern Africa and which almost disappeared due to the horn trade; yet it is with a dozen individuals placed in the Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park that the population experienced an extraordinary surge: today it has nearly 12,000 individuals spread over several reserves including outside South Africa.

There are also several species of forest antelope such as the Zanzibar Suni (Neotragus moschatus) or the blue duiker (Philantomba monticola).

Other endemic species include the Natal hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys natalensis), a turtle unique to the Lembobo Mountains, the very rare Albany viper (Bitis albanica) confined to Algoa Bay (Eastern Cape), and a species of lizard: the Tasman's cordyle (Cordylus tasmani).

A species of shark, the Paragaleus leucolomatus, is only known from a single specimen caught in Kosi Bay (natural reserve, coord.

Among the species of invertebrates we find in particular the very primitive Onychophora, which resemble worms with legs and velvety skin.

In the moist forest floors lives a species of giant earthworm (Microchaetus vernoni) that can reach 2.6m in length.

There is also a species of flightless dung beetle: Circellium bacchus, whose range is concentrated only in the Addo Elephant National Park (where specific signs indicate that it has priority over vehicles in the thoroughfares)[9] and surrounding areas.