Structure and composition of the woody plant communities of Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Willem Nieman,Brian Van Wilgen,Alison Leslie

doi:10.38201/btha.abc.v51.i2.7

Willem Nieman, Brian Van Wilgen + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v51.i2.7

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Abstract

Background: The role of protected areas as sanctuaries for indigenous vegetation in Malawi, particularly miombo woodlands, will become increasingly important in the face of global change and rising human populations. Accurate knowledge of the extent and composition of woody components of plant communities will therefore play a vital part in informing conservation and management initiatives.Objectives: The aims of this study were to (1) classify, describe and map thewoody plant communities of the Majete Wildlife Reserve (MWR) using a combination of remote sensing and on-the-ground surveys, and (2) to compile an inventory of the tree and shrub species present in MWR.Methods: A combination of remote sensing and on-the-ground surveys was used to classify, describe and map the woody plant communities of MWR. Additionally, an inventory of the tree and shrub species in each delineated woody plant community was made.Results: Five distinct woody plant communities, two of which were subdivided into three sub-communities each, were recognised in MWR, and a total of 118 woody plant species within 31 families were identified. A description of the location, structure and species composition of each community is provided. Miombo was the most widespread community (covering 35.9% of the area), while the lower-altitude shrublands and woodlands were the richest floristically.Conclusion: This information is intended to provide a basis for improved management planning and policy development, including fire management, the placement of infrastructure, and the re-introduction of extirpated mammal species, as well as providing a baseline against which to monitor change. Additionally, this study provided an example of how the combination of remote sensing and ground surveys can provide a rapid and relatively inexpensive method for classifying the woody components of communities at a relatively fine scale over large areas, which may become particularly relevant for developing countries and regions that undergo rapid and constant change.

Highlights

Savanna ecosystems cover approximately 40% of Africa (Scholes & Walker 1993), and the most common variant in southern and eastern Africa, namely miombo woodland, covers approximately 2.7 million km2 in seven countries (Frost 1996; Kutsch et al 2011)
The final classification of the land cover of Majete Wildlife Reserve (MWR) was done at 90.77% accuracy (i.e. 90.77% of pixels from the Sentinel map matched the corresponding woody plant community structure on the ground), and included five woody plant communities, two of which were further subdivided into three sub-communities each (Table 1)
The floristic composition of riparian woodland was the least similar to all other woody plant communities, while grassland was closely related to the shrubland and woodland sub-types

Summary

Introduction

Savanna ecosystems cover approximately 40% of Africa (Scholes & Walker 1993), and the most common variant in southern and eastern Africa, namely miombo woodland, covers approximately 2.7 million km in seven countries (Frost 1996; Kutsch et al 2011). Malawi falls entirely within the Miombo Ecoregion (~3.6 million km2; Byers 2001), and the ecoregion was identified as one of five global wilderness areas that require conservation prioritisation (Mittermeier et al 2003). The ZMWE consists mainly of broadleaf, deciduous savannas and woodlands interspersed with edaphic grasslands (White 1983; Chirwa, Syampungani & Geldenhuys 2014). These two ecoregions were formerly classified by Huntley (1982) as Caesalpinoid ( Detarioideae) woodland, or broadleaved dystrophic savanna woodland, while White (1983) classified the area as the Zambezian Phytoregion, with Zambezian woodland being the most widespread woody plant community in the region. Accurate knowledge of the extent and composition of woody components of plant communities will play a vital part in informing conservation and management initiatives

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