Viphya Mountains
Above 1600 meters elevation, Afromontane grasslands, shrublands, forests, and woodlands are main native plant communities, with many distinct species from the adjacent lowlands.
[3] About 4500 hectares of montane rainforest remain in the southern part of the range, mostly in the South Viphya Forest Reserve.
Uzumara is the southern end of the range for species of butterfly, Papilio bromius, P. jacksoni and Charaxes nyikensis.
[5] The South Viphya forests are home to Malawi's largest population of red forest duiker (Cephalophus natalensis), along with yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus), vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus), bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus), and leopard (Panthera pardus).
[6] Birds found in the range include the scaly spurfowl (Pternistis squamatus), olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus), and the red-faced crimson-wing (Cryptospiza reichenovii).
[7] The Viphya mountains are the southernmost range for several Afromontane species of the East African mountains – the trees and shrubs Entandrophragma excelsum, Ficalhoa laurifolia, and Ocotea usambarensis; the birds Onychognathus tenuirostris and Laniarius fuelleborni; and the butterflies Precis sinuata, Henotesia ubenica, Uranothauma cuneatum, and Uranothauma heritsia.
[8] The reserve is home to the vast Viphya Plantation, also known as the Chikangawa Forest, which is mostly composed of exotic pine trees.
The South Viphya Forest Reserve also includes three enclaves of native evergreen montane forest at Nthungwa (11°40’S 33°49’E, 108 ha at 1,600–1,800 m), Chamambo (11°50’S 33°50’E, 260 ha at 1,600–1,800 m) and Kawandama (12°01’S 33°52’E, 75 ha at 1,750–1,850 m.[9] Other forest reserves include Chimaliro and Dwambazi at the south end of the range, Mtangatanga and Perekezi on the western slope of the southern range, Ruvuo, Chisahira, and Nkhwazi on the eastern slope, Lunyangwa and Kaning'ina near Mzuzu, and Uzumara on Mt.
Raiply runs a factory which makes plywood, lumber, and wood furniture in the town of Chikangawa, west of the plantation.
