Vegetation diversity and change in relation to land use, soil and rainfall- a case study from North-East District, Botswana

The debate about the sustainability and productivity of communal lands, esp ecially in comparison with privately managed land, is far from settled. Eme rging theories emphasize the spatial and temporal diversity of the environm ent, and are often in agreement with local opportunistic land management st rategies. This study explores differences in Variables such as plant specie s richness, composition, and abundance of the field-layer and woody vegetat ion, between sites with different soils and different histories of land use (communal, private ranch, and rested from grazing), for 2 years. The resul ts indicate that, for the study area chosen, differences in land use have n ot caused any major differences in the vegetation. However, there were clea r differences depending on soil type, and plant production increased strong ly with a slight increase in rainfall. Although people and livestock have h ad a strong impact on the vegetation, most indicators of degradation were a bsent, implying that the land has not lost its productive potential. (C) 20 00 Academic Press.