This is a list of freshwater ecoregions in Africa and Madagascar as identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF categorizes the Earth's land surface into ecoregions, which are defined as "large area[s] of land or water containing a distinct assemblage of natural communities and species." These ecoregions are further grouped into bioregions, "a complex of ecoregions that share a similar biogeographic history, and thus often have strong affinities at higher taxonomic levels (e.g. genera, families)." The Earth's land surface is divided into eight biogeographic realms. While most of Africa falls within the Afrotropical realm, the freshwater ecoregions of North Africa share similarities with the Palearctic realm. Each ecoregion is also classified into major habitat types or biomes. Many view this classification as decisive, and some propose using these boundaries as stable borders for bioregional democracy initiatives.
by Bioregion
North African Canary Islands Horn (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia) Permanent Maghreb (Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara) Temporary Maghreb (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara) Red Sea Coastal (Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan) Socotra (Yemen)
Nilo-Sudan Ashanti (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana) Bight Coastal (Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo) Bijagos (Guinea Bissau) Cape Verde Dry Sahel (Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, Western Sahara) Eburneo (Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali) Ethiopian Highlands (Ethiopia) Lake Chad Catchment (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Sudan) Yaéré (seasonal wetland) Niger Upper Niger (Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali) Inner Niger Delta (Mali) Lower Niger-Benue (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria) Niger Delta (Nigeria) Nile Lake Tana (Ethiopia) Upper Nile (Sudan, Uganda) Lower Nile (Egypt, Sudan) Nile Delta (Egypt) Northern Eastern Rift (Ethiopia) Senegal-Gambia Catchments (Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal) Shebele-Juba Catchments (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia) Lake Turkana (Ethiopia, Kenya) Volta (Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo)
Upper Guinea Fouta-Djalon (Guinea) Mount Nimba (Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia) Northern Upper Guinea (Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone) Southern Upper Guinea (Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia)
West Coast Equatorial Central West Coastal Equatorial (Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon) Northern West Coast Equatorial (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria) Southern West Coast Equatorial (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon) São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón (Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe) Western Equatorial Crater Lakes (Cameroon)
Congo Albertine Highlands (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Bangweulu-Mweru (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia) Cuvette Centrale (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Kasai (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo) Lower Congo (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo) Lower Congo Rapids (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo) Mai-Ndombe (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Malebo Pool (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Sangha (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo) Sudanic Congo (Oubangi) (Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo) Uele (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Upper Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Upper Congo Rapids (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Upper Luluaba (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Thysville Caves (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Tumba (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Great Lakes Lake Malawi (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania) Lake Rukwa (Tanzania) Lake Tanganyika (Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia) Lakes Kivu, Edward, George & Victoria (Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)
Eastern and Coastal Southern Eastern Rift (Kenya, Tanzania) Kenyan Coastal Rivers (Kenya) Pangani (Kenya, Tanzania) Malagarasi-Moyowosi (Tanzania) Eastern Coastal Basins (Mozambique, Tanzania) Lakes Chilwa and Chiuta (Malawi, Mozambique)
Cuanza Cuanza (Angola)
Zambezi Etosha (Angola, Namibia) Kalahari (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa) Karstveld Sink Holes (Namibia) Namib Coastal (Angola, Namibia) Okavango Floodplains (Angola, Botswana, Namibia) Zambezian Lowveld (Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe) Zambezi Zambezian Headwaters (Angola, Zambia) Kafue (Zambia) Upper Zambezi Floodplains (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia) Mulanje (Malawi, Mozambique) Eastern Zimbabwe Highlands (Mozambique, Zimbabwe) Zambezian (Plateau) Highveld (Zimbabwe) Middle Zambezi Luangwa (Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe) Lower Zambezi (Malawi, Mozambique)
Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands Comoros Madagascar Eastern Lowlands (Madagascar) Madagascar Eastern Highlands (Madagascar) Madagascar Northwestern Basins (Madagascar) Madagascar Southern Basins (Madagascar) Madagascar Western Basins (Madagascar) Mascarenes (Mauritius, Réunion) Coralline Seychelles (Seychelles) Granitic Seychelles (Seychelles)
Southern Temperate Amatole-Winterberg Highlands (South Africa) Cape Fold (South Africa) Drakensberg-Maloti Highlands (Lesotho, South Africa) Karoo (South Africa) Southern Kalahari (South Africa) Southern Temperate Highveld (South Africa, Eswatini) Western Orange (Botswana, South Africa)
by Major Habitat type
Closed basins and small lakes Lakes Chilwa and Chiuta Southern Eastern Rift Lake Tana Northern Eastern Rift Western Equatorial Crater Lakes
Floodplains, swamps, and lakes Bangweulu-Mweru Inner Niger Delta Kafue Lake Chad Catchment Mai Ndombe Malagarasi-Moyowosi Okavango Floodplains Tumba Upper Luluaba Upper Nile Upper Zambezi Floodplains Yaéré
Moist forest rivers Ashanti Cuvette Centrale Central West Coastal Equatorial Eburneo Kasai Lower Congo Madagascar Eastern Lowlands Malebo Pool Northern Upper Guinea Northern West Coast Equatorial Sangha Southern Upper Guinea Northern West Coastal Equatorial Sudanic Congo (Oubangi) Upper Congo Upper Niger
Mediterranean systems Cape Fold Permanent Maghreb
Highland and mountain systems Albertine Highlands Amatole-Winterberg Highlands Drakensberg-Maloti Highlands Eastern Zimbabwe Highlands Ethiopian Highlands Fouta-Djalon Madagascar Eastern Highlands Mount Nimba Mulanje
Island rivers and lakes Bijagos Canary Islands Cape Verde Comoros Coralline Seychelles Granitic Seychelles São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón Mascarenes Socotra
Large lakes Lake Malawi Lake Rukwa Lake Tanganyika Lake Turkana Lakes Kivu, Edward, George & Victoria
Large river deltas Niger Delta Nile Delta
Large river rapids Lower Congo Rapids Upper Congo Rapids
Savanna-dry forest rivers Bight Coastal Cuanza Kenyan Coastal Rivers Lower Niger-Benue Lower Zambezi Madagascar Northwestern Basins Madagascar Western Basins Middle Zambezi Luangwa Pangani Senegal-Gambia Catchments Eastern Coastal Basins Southern Temperate Highveld Uele Volta Zambezian Headwaters Zambezian Lowveld Zamebzian (Plateau) Highveld
Subterranean and spring systems Karstveld Sink Holes Thysville Caves
Xeric systems Dry Sahel Etosha Horn Kalahari Karoo Lower Nile Madagascar Southern Basins Namib Coastal Red Sea Coastal Shebele-Juba Catchments Southern Kalahari Temporary Maghreb Western Orange
References Thieme, Michelle L. (2005). Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press, Washington DC.