A vegetation survey was conducted at plant community level within the boundaries of Richards Bay Municipal area during 2001 to 2002. Relevés was randomly selected and floristic information was recorded for 310 sample plots and was referenced by GPS. The data were captured in TURBOVEG data base, for vegetation data and classified using the TWINSPAN numerical classification algorithm. Phytosociological tables were compiled using the MAGATAB computerized table management program. Thirteen plant communities were identified, described and characterized by diagnostic and dominant species occurring in them. The study in general showed that vegetation in the Richards Bay Municipal area has deteriorated considerably over the last 30 years. The study indicated that wetland communities occupy a relatively small area and has become relatively degraded within the study area. It is recommended that Richards Bay Town Council plan the Metropolitan Open Space System (MOSS) bringing the ecological areas of importance into consideration and that all new developments in the Richards Bay area be subjected to proper ecological investigation as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Plant Science / unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/27044 |
| Date | 05 August 2009 |
| Creators | Burger, Jeanine |
| Contributors | Bredenkamp, George J., burgerJe@eskom.co.za |
| Publisher | University of Pretoria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Rights | © 2008, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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