Abstract:
The description and classification of vegetation are important for conservation and resource
management. The aim of this study was to identify, reclassify and describe the plant
communities present in the Waterberg Mountain vegetation of the Marakele National Park in
the Limpopo province, South Africa. A phytosociological classification, mapping and
description of sections of the Waterberg Mountain vegetation in the park were done in 1995.
Since 1995, various farms adjacent to the park have been bought and incorporated into it. Little
is known about the vegetation and habitat status of these newly acquired areas, which led to
this study. The floristic data were analysed according to the Braun-Blanquet procedure using
the Braun Blanquet Personal Computer (BBPC) suite as well as the JUICE software package,
whilst the diversity of the plant communities was determined using the Shannon–Wiener and
Gini–Simpson indices. A total of 12 plant communities were identified and are described
according to their diagnostic, constant and dominant plant species as determined from the
synoptic table analysis as well as their characteristic species as derived from the phytosociological
table. Based on the topography and plant species composition, the vegetation can be grouped
into five major groups, namely the: (1) lower midslope and plateau shrub- and woodlands,
(2) high altitude midslope woodland, (3) high-lying plateau and midslope grass-, shrub- and
woodlands, (4) ravine, footslope and drainage line forests and woodland, and (5) higher-lying
plateau wetlands and forblands. The high altitude midslope grassland and shrubland and
the lower midslope and plateau areas have the highest diversity. The high-lying vegetation
has affinity with Bankenveld and Drakensberg vegetation, whilst the relatively low-lying
plateaus and midslope vegetation are typical of the bushveld areas.
CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS : This reclassification, mapping and description of the Waterberg
Mountain vegetation have been incorporated into the Management Plan for the park. It will enable managers to make scientifically based decisions on the management of the different
ecosystems to ensure biodiversity conservation. This vegetation study also provides baseline
information that allows for vegetation assessments to determine veld condition, carrying
capacity and stocking density for the park.
