This ecoregion is a complex area where several major African ecological zones meet, and where topographical features have resulted in a high diversity of vegetation types and significant levels of endemism. Biologically, the most important portion of the ecoregion is the west-facing scarp that supports rain forest at higher altitudes. This forest holds a significant number of endemic birds, and some other endemic animals and plants. The long period of civil instability in Angola means that these forests and other parts of the ecoregion have never been adequately surveyed biologically, and hence more endemics can be expected with further study. However, the highly unstable civil war means that all biological investigation, management of protected areas, or other kinds of conservation interventions are impossible at the present time. This lack of access and management may be negatively, or even positively, affecting the habitats and their biological values, but there are no data to assess this.