The Zambezi Basin is endowed with forest resources that contribute significantly to economic development through the provision of food, shelter, medicine and the sustenance of environmental processes. The Basin drains a total area of almost 1.4 million sq km; the total forest cover is 76,310 sq km.

Biomes of the Zambezi Basin
There are four main ecological regions across the Zambezi Basin, characterised by similar climate, vegetation and species: Congolian, Zambezian, Montane and Coastal. Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa can be added as a fifth region (or biome), but only regarding solely aquatic organisms such as fish associated with this deepwater lake.

The Congolian biome is the area around the headwaters of the Zambezi in northwestern Zambia and northeastern Angola, with a warmer and wetter climate than the rest of the plateau. The vegetation and species are a mix of those found in the forested Congo Basin and elsewhere in the less tropical, more wooded Zambezi Basin.

The Zambezian biome covers about 95 percent of the Basin, and comprises woodland, grassland, swamp and lakes. The climate is strongly seasonal with a marked dry season.

The Montane biome lies between 1,800 and 2,000 metres above mean sea level and is cooler, wetter, often shrouded in mist, and with a much more temperate climate. Grassland herbs are found in this biome and introduced species such as pine and wattle.

The Coastal biome comprises those areas of the Basin where climate is modified by proximity to the coast – the delta area in Mozambique and its immediate surroundings. Vegetation in the Coastal biome includes dry forest and grasslands.