The Classification of Plant Communities and the Evaluation of Restoration Technologies in Different Land-Use Areas in the Vhembe-Dongola National Park, Northern Province, South Africa

Abstract

The establishment of the Vhembe-Dongola National Park has been an objective of the South African National Parks for many years. The ultimate objective is that the Vhembe-Dongola National Park would become a major component of a trans-frontier national park shared by Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The aims of this study was firstly to identify, classify and describe the plant communities on different land types in the park, secondly to identify areas in the park that show high levels of degradation and should be restored and to make relevant recommendations regarding such restoration and rehabilitation activities. The final aim was to identify and map ecologically sound management units on which the optimal management of the park can be based. Sampling was done by means of the Braun-Blanquet method and land types were used as a means of stratification of the study area. A total of 220 stratified random releves were sampled. All releve data was imported into the database TURBOVEG after which the numerical classification technique TWINSPAN was used as a first approximation. Subsequently Braun-Blanquet procedures were used to refine data and construct phytosociological tables using the visual editor, MEGATAB. From the phytosociological tables 12 plant communities were identified and described in five different land types. The ordination algorithm, DECORANA, was applied to the floristic data in order to illustrate floristic relationships between plant communities, to detect possible gradients in and between communities and to detect possible habitat gradients and/or disturbance gradients associated with vegetation gradients. A synthesis of all the vegetation data was performed and a synoptic table constructed. Eight different vegetation groups were identified and described. The vegetation groups were combined into seven ecologically sound management units, based on plant species composition, environmental variables and anthropogenic influences in every vegetation group and mapped on management unit maps. A number of management proposals were also made. Degraded areas in need of restoration and/or rehabilitation were identified and described, and recommendations made with regard to restoration/rehabilitation of all anthropogenically disturbed and degraded areas in the park.