Analysis of the vegetation of the sandstone ridges (Ib land type) of the north-eastern parts of the Mapungubwe National Park, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Albie R Gotze,Sarel S Cilliers,Klaus Kellner,Hugo Beduizenhout

doi:10.4102/koedoe.v50i1.136

Albie R Gotze, Sarel S Cilliers + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v50i1.136

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Abstract

The establishment of the Mapungubwe National Park has been an objective of several conservationists for many years. The ultimate objective is that this park should become a major component of a Transfrontier National Park shared by Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The aim of this study was to identify, classify and describe the plant communities present in the Ib land type of the park. Sampling was done by means of the Braun-Blanquet method. A total of 48 stratified random relevés were sampled in the Ib land type. All relevé data were imported into a TURBOVEG database, after which the numerical classification technique TWINSPAN was used as a first approximation. Subsequently, Braun-Blanquet procedures were used to refine data and a phytosociological table was constructed, using the visual editor, MEGATAB. Two plant communities and several subcommunities and variants were identified and described from the phytosociological table.

Highlights

IntroductionThe establishment of the Mapungubwe National Park (initially the Vhembe-Dongola National Park) has been an objective of South African National Parks for many years
The establishment of the Mapungubwe National Park has been an objective of South African National Parks for many years
In the Mapungubwe National Park, the Ib land type (Figure 1) has the second highest plant diversity of all the land types in the park, with 219 plant species identified during the course of this study

Summary

Introduction

The establishment of the Mapungubwe National Park (initially the Vhembe-Dongola National Park) has been an objective of South African National Parks for many years. There are a large number of microhabitats within each of the larger identifiable habitats, and these contribute to the high species diversity and complex nature of the Ib land type. These microhabitats range from depressions in the rock surface, where soil that is transported by wind and water is trapped, to vertical face-rock habitats and cracks and seams in the mother rock. Primeval building sites and age-old potsherds are commonly found in the area This Heritage Site is an extremely important site in the early history of southern Africa, as it was here that social, cultural and political developments led to the first complex society in southern Africa (Huffman 2005, Kuman et al 2005). LIMPOPO PROVINCE 29°30'0"E area, the archaeological and cultural heritage is an important reason for the proclamation of the Mapungubwe National Park (Robinson 1996)

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