# Montane grasslands and shrublands

Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than the ecological term that denotes the region below the treeline.
This biome includes high elevation (montane and alpine) grasslands and shrublands, including the puna and páramo in South America, subalpine heath in New Guinea and East Africa, steppes of the Tibetan plateaus, as well as other similar subalpine habitats around the world.
The plants and animals of tropical montane páramos display striking adaptations to cool, wet conditions and intense sunlight. Around the world, characteristic plants of these habitats display features such as rosette structures, waxy surfaces, and abundant pilosity.
The páramos of the northern Andes are the most extensive examples of this habitat type. Although ecoregion biotas are most diverse in the Andes, these ecosystems are distinctive wherever they occur in the tropics. The heathlands and moorlands of East Africa (e.g., Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Rwenzori Mountains), Mount Kinabalu of Borneo, and the Central Range of New Guinea are all limited in extent, isolated, and support endemic plants and animals.
Drier subtropical montane grasslands, savannas, and woodlands include the Ethiopian Highlands, the Zambezian montane grasslands and woodlands, and the montane habitats of southeastern Africa.
The montane grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau still support relatively intact migrations of Tibetan antelope (Pantholops Hodgsoni) and kiang, or Tibetan wild ass (Equus hemionus). A unique feature of many tropical páramos is the presence of giant rosette plants from a variety of plant families, such as Lobelia (Africa), Puya (South America), Cyathea (New Guinea), and Argyroxiphium (Hawai’i). These plant forms can reach elevations of 4,500–4,600 metres (14,800–15,100 ft) above sea level.

## Montane grassland and shrubland ecoregions

Afrotropical montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregionsvte :
| Angolan montane forest–grassland mosaic | Angola |
| Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands | Angola |
| Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands | Lesotho, South Africa |
| Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests | Lesotho, South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland) |
| East African montane moorlands | Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda |
| Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest–grassland mosaic | Mozambique, Zimbabwe |
| Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands | Ethiopia, Sudan |
| Ethiopian montane moorlands | Ethiopia, Sudan |
| Highveld grasslands | Lesotho, South Africa |
| Jos Plateau forest–grassland mosaic | Nigeria |
| Madagascar ericoid thickets | Madagascar |
| Maputaland–Pondoland bushland and thickets | Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland) |
| Rwenzori–Virunga montane moorlands | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda |
| South Malawi montane forest–grassland mosaic | Malawi, Mozambique |
| Southern Rift montane forest–grassland mosaic | Malawi, Tanzania |
Australasian montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregionsvte :
| Australian Alps montane grasslands | Australia |
| Central Range sub-alpine grasslands | Indonesia, Papua New Guinea |
| Southland montane grasslands | New Zealand |
Indomalayan montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregionsvte :
| Kinabalu montane alpine meadows | Malaysia |
Neotropical montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregionsvte :
| Central Andean dry puna | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile |
| Central Andean puna | Argentina, Bolivia, Peru |
| Central Andean wet puna | Bolivia, Peru |
| Cordillera Central páramo | Ecuador, Peru |
| Cordillera de Merida páramo | Venezuela |
| High Monte | Argentina |
| Northern Andean páramo | Colombia, Ecuador |
| Santa Marta páramo | Colombia |
| Talamanca Paramo | Costa Rica, Panama |
| Southern Andean steppe | Argentina, Chile |
| Zacatonal | Mexico, Guatemala |
Palearctic montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregionsvte :
| Altai alpine meadow and tundra | China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia |
| Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe | China |
| Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows | Bhutan, Myanmar, China, India, Nepal |
| Ghorat–Hazarajat alpine meadow | Afghanistan |
| Hindu Kush alpine meadow | Afghanistan |
| Karakoram–West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe | Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan |
| Khangai Mountains alpine meadow | Mongolia |
| Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe | Iran, Turkmenistan |
| Kuh Rud and Eastern Iran montane woodlands | Iran |
| Mediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe | Morocco |
| North Tibetan Plateau–Kunlun Mountains alpine desert | China |
| Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows | China, India, Pakistan |
| Ordos Plateau steppe | China |
| Pamir alpine desert and tundra | Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan |
| Qilian Mountains subalpine meadows | China |
| Sayan alpine meadows and tundra | Mongolia, Russia |
| Southeast Tibet shrub and meadows | China |
| Sulaiman Range alpine meadows | Afghanistan, Pakistan |
| Tian Shan montane steppe and meadows | China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan |
| Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows | China |
| Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows | India, Nepal |
| Yarlung Zambo arid steppe | China |