Ladislav Mucina

The Fynbos biome (at the continental biome level) is a member of the global warm-temperate Ethesial Zone (zonobiome S1). The dominating feature of the vegetation supported by this biome are species- and endemic-rich shrublands. The occurrence of bioclimatically and pedologically marginal coastal thickets as well as inland fire-shy Cape thickets is briefly discussed. The relationship between pockets of fire-shy afrotemperate forests (belonging to another zonobiome) and the fynbos shrublands are also analysed. The CB Fynbos is here divided into 19 regional biomes, of which most are intrazonal pedobiomes, and two are extrazonal; only four regional biomes (all characterised by renosterveld vegetation) are of true zonal nature. This chapter presents descriptions of all 19 regional biomes.

The biomes of the zonobiome E2 Tropical Seasonal Zone occupy the largest portion of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This zone is also the dominant zonobiome of the studied MBSA. Physiognomically, the biomes of this zone are represented by savanna grasslands and woodlands, as well as Tropical Dry Forests (TDF). In bioclimatic terms, these biomes are characterised by alternation of prolonged dry and wet periods. In the study region we recognise Mesic and Arid Savanna at the rank of global biome, each comprising 25 and 9 regional biomes, respectively. While the savanna units are functionally underpinned by the domination of highly productive C4 grasslands, the TDF is characterised by an overall lack of grassy (or shrubby) understorey beneath a (semi)closed canopy of trees of predominantly low stature. There are two regional biomes of TDF recognised within the study area, namely Southern African Dry Forest and Southern African Dry Thicket. This chapter presents descriptions of all regional biomes of the zonobiome E2.

This chapter summarizes the new insights on how to do a forest vegetation survey under particular conditions defined by aims, traditions, and local conditions. It addresses the issues of the logistics of field sampling, detail of the field surveys, handling legacy (historical) data, pitfalls of numerical data-analyses, problems of modelling the distribution of vegetation types, vagaries of interpretations of the revealed vegetation patterns, and presentation of the outcomes.

This chapter brings the first comprehensive classification of the Eastern Scarp Forest. These are very fragmented and relictual forests, structurally complex, rich in tropical elements as well as species of conservation and horticultural value. Nearly all play an important cultural role for the local communities and deserve formal protection. Sixteen habitat-level communities, classified into eight forest subtypes were recognised. The floristic and geographical data support a move to split the Eastern Scarp Forest (type) into two new forest types, i.e. KwaZulu-Natal Scarp and Northern Scarp.

This chapter features the motivation and rationale underpinning the survey of selected types of the South African indigenous forests. It presents the main (and subsidiary) objectives of this exercise, including collection of new field data and the classification of the forest vegetation into forest subtypes and habitat-level communities. Three forest types, such as Albany Coastal Forests, Pondoland Scarp Forests, and Eastern Scarp Forests have been chosen to be featured in this study.

The Pondoland Scarp Forests (limited to the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape Province and southwestern seaboards of KwaZulu-Natal) are probably the most valuable forest type of SouthAfrica due to the relict character of the current extent and high plant endemism. This chapter present the first classification of the forest communities of this canyon-dominated region. Seven habitat-level communities have been recognised on basis of 47 full-floristic releve's. They have been grouped into three forest subtypes, reflecting the geographic position (Port St Johns vs Umtamvuna-Oribi area) as well as gradients strongly linked to topography. These forests are typical subtropical forests, very complex in structural terms, and also species rich. They deserve focused protection in greater extent than they are enjoying today.

In this chapter, we test whether the structural completeness (data stratified into structural layers-tree, shrub, herbaceous, epiphytes) in species-rich subtropical forests impacts on classification outcome. We manipulated a well-structured (multi-layered) data set by successive removing structural layers. We have found that the herbaceous layer (E1) and the epiphytic synusia (E0) do not play an important role in classification of the subtropical forests. Besides obligatory sampling the tree layer, it appears that sampling the complete shrub layers (E2 alpha and E2 beta) layers is crucial, both for classification as well as for production of functional expert system.

Albany Coastal Forests are subtropical vegetation type occurring in the western part of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Alexandria Forest is the largest complex of forest patches of this type. Smaller, numerous patches of the Albany forests occur in deeply incised valleys of the rivers in the Albany region. These forests are in contact with the matrix zonal vegetation of the subtropical Albany thickets. This chapter reports on survey (based on full-floristic vegetation plots) of these forests and the classification which yielded six forest (habitat-level) communities, grouped into three Forest Subtypes. The major tree dominants in these forests are Celtis africana, Afrocarpus falcatus, Mimusops obovata, Erythrina caffra, Apodytes dimidiata, Maytenus undata and Sideroxylon inerme. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to characterise major environmental drivers underpinning the revealed vegetation patterns. An identification key assisting in field recognition of forest subtypes and communities is also presented.

The Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs) are limited to five regions on Earth: Mediterranean Basin, California, Central Chile, the Cape of South Africa and the Southwest Australia. This chapter identifies the factors that limits or facilitates spontaneous colonization in degraded areas of Mediterranean-type forest ecosystems in Chile and that may be applied to assist the regeneration of degraded areas. Reforestation and afforestation have been the restoration actions traditionally implemented in the Mediterranean countries. Technically not considered ecological restoration projects as understood today, these actions addressed some of the broad aims of restoration, such as reduction of soil erosion and runoff, recovery of natural forests, and the like. MTEs are evolutionary hotbeds and musea: they are home to several global centres of biodiversity and have about 20 per cent of total floristic diversity in an area covering just 5 per cent of the land surface. Vegetation of the MTEs is typically sclerophyllous shrublands, however woodlands are also important.

The flora of the Western Cape Province (WCP) is particularly rich, with 11 388 plant taxa (including infraspecific taxa) recorded in the WCP compared to 20 627 taxa recorded for the whole of South Africa (SA), excluding Lesotho & Swaziland and 66 142 taxa in Africa. This means that the WCP has 55% of SA’s plant taxa in only 11% of SA’s land area and 17% of Africa’s plant taxa in 0.24% of Africa’s land area. Of the plant taxa in the WCP, 10 916 (96%) are indigenous and 472 (4%) are naturalised (originally from outside the WCP). Of the naturalised taxa, 137 or 1% of the WCP flora, are invasive species. A high number of the flora is endemic (6 776 taxa or 60%) and 1 212 plant taxa, or 68% of SA’s threatened species, are found in the WCP. Twenty seven species in the WCP are extinct (57% of SA’s extinct species).

Of the 166 vegetation units found in the WCP, 110 (66%) are endemic to the WCP. Of these, 35 vegetation units presently have very little (0.1 to 5%) and 24 units have no area under protection. The areas under conservation of seven vegetation units improved by more than 10% between 2002 and 2006.

All District Municipalities in the WCP contain vegetation units that are endemic to their political boundary. All District Municipalities, except of the Central Karoo, are home to Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable vegetation units.

The large proportion of endemic and threatened flora and vegetation units in the WCP place an enormous responsibility on the governments of both SA and the WCP to ensure the survival of this unique flora. In the Fynbos or Cape Floristic Region the greatest threat to the plant taxa is agriculture (mainly on the lowlands).