First vegetation-plot database of woody species from Huíla province, SW Angola

Abstract

Angola is a country in south-central Africa, particularly rich in biodiversity. Despite the efforts recently made to document its biodiversity, there is a need for standardized sampling methods to document and compare the variety of ecosystems and plants occurring in the country. With this database report we aim to document the abundance and diversity of woody species in the woodlands of Huíla province. The database hosts the results of a standardised plot-based vegetation survey, consisting of 448 vegetation plots distributed throughout the 14 municipalities and Bicuar National Park. In total, 40,009 individuals belonging to 44 plant families were recorded and measured, belonging to 193 woody species. Species richness per municipality ranged from 32 to 126. The mean stem diameter (DBH) was 10.9 cm ± 7.5 cm. Small-size classes are increasingly dominated by few species, while the largest trees come from a wider range of species; miombo key-species dominated almost all size classes. Our study represents the first plot-based vegetation survey of any Angolan province and constitutes a useful source of information for conservation and management. Additionally, may constitute a powerful dataset to support future studies on biodiversity patterns and vegetation change over time and facilitate the elaboration of vegetation maps. Taxonomic reference: Checklist of Angolan Plants (Figueiredo and Smith 2008), The African Plant Database (version 3.4.0) and A new classification of Leguminosae (LPWG 2017). Abbreviations: DBH = Diameter at Breast Height; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; LUBA = Acronym of the Herbarium of Lubango

Assessing the Impact of Charcoal Production on Southern Angolan Miombo and Mopane Woodlands

“…Sampling of wood vegetation was performed in three areas: Humbia and Garganta in Bibala municipality, where Mopane woodland is dominant, and Mawengue in Cacula municipality, where Miombo predominates. Based on a model developed by Oldeland et al [51] and applied by other researchers, including Gonçalves et al [52], a total of 37 charcoal fallow sites, over a total area of about 3.7 ha, were sampled. Plots of 1000 m 2 (20 × 50 m) with a central sub-plot of 100 m 2 (10 × 10 m) were used.…”

Diversity, Regeneration Potential, and Natural Restoration of Miombo along an Anthropization Gradient in the Rural Area of Lubumbashi (Upper-Katanga, D.R. Congo)

“…Forests constitute one of the most crucial terrestrial biomes on the planet, harboring 80% of terrestrial biodiversity [1,2] across approximately 4.06 billion hectares [3]. In Africa, forests cover 23% of the continent, totaling 675 million hectares [4], with nearly 10% of this area dominated by miombo woodlands [5,6]. Miombo woodlands are predominantly composed of woody species from the genera Brachystegia, Julbernardia, and Isoberlinia [7].…”

A new Angolan species from the Triaspis hypericoides complex (Malpighiaceae) based on macromorphology and palynology

“…The Huíla plateau of southwestern Angola has long been known as an area of diversity and endemism, with much of this endemism associated with the high escarpment zone of the Serra da Chela (Goyder and Gonçalves 2019). Bicuar National Park is situated 100–200 km east of the escarpment zone, on a lens of sand which supports a mosaic of seasonally dry miombo woodlands (Gonçalves et al 2021). There is no complete plant inventory to date, but surveys and analyses of the woody vegetation of the park and surrounding area have been conducted by Chisingui et al (2018), Godlee et al (2020), Silva et al (2020) and Gonçalves et al (2021).…”

“…Bicuar National Park is situated 100–200 km east of the escarpment zone, on a lens of sand which supports a mosaic of seasonally dry miombo woodlands (Gonçalves et al 2021). There is no complete plant inventory to date, but surveys and analyses of the woody vegetation of the park and surrounding area have been conducted by Chisingui et al (2018), Godlee et al (2020), Silva et al (2020) and Gonçalves et al (2021). During fieldwork in the dry miombo woodlands of Bicuar National Park, one of us (FMPG) encountered an unusual population of Triaspis that did not fall within any accepted taxon in the genus.…”