Country

Eswatini: 3 ecoregions. Each with its climate now and toward 2050, and its conservation tier.

Small as it is, Eswatini spans three distinct Afrotropic ecoregions arranged by elevation. The Highveld grasslands cover the cool western uplands, the Limpopo lowveld fills the hot, dry east with subtropical savanna, and the Maputaland coastal forests and woodlands reach the far eastern margin with moist broadleaf character. Both the highveld and Maputaland ecoregions sit in the Nature Imperiled tier. The east-west spread means unusual climatic range for a country this size: grassland conditions with cold-season frost potential in the highlands, and near-tropical heat in the lowveld. Growers should read their altitude first, temperate-leaning grasses and hardy shrubs up top, drought-tolerant savanna trees below, with the moistest, most forest-friendly conditions confined to the eastern edge.