SAFARI 2000 NBI Vegetation Map of the Savannas of Southern Africa - Congo Area
Dataset Identification:
Resource Abstract:
Vegetation of the Congo Area as used in the SAFARI 2000 project assessing the contribution of burning woody African vegetation
south of the Equator to atmospheric aerosols. <div> <span style=""> <div style="font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align:
baseline;"> <div style="font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-weight: inherit;font-style:
inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> <div style="font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> <br />
</div> <div style="text-align: left;font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> Project abstract:
The objective of the National Botanical Institute's (NBI) vegetation mapping project was to map woody plant species to provide
estimates of the fraction of individual species contributing to the peak leaf area index for designated vegetation types in
southern Africa. The target was to account for 80% of the woody vegetation leaf area in terms of named species, for 80% of
the surface area of Africa south of the equator. </div> <div style="text-align: left;font-weight: inherit;font-style:
inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> <br /> </div> <div style="text-align: left;font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align:
baseline;"> The data sources are both published and unpublished species lists for vegetation types and individual sample plots,
with the species contribution estimated by local experts in terms of dominants and subdominants. Source maps include: Low
and Rebelo (1998) covering South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland; Giess (1971) covering Namibia; Wild and Barbosa (1968) covering
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique; Barbosa (1970) covering Angola; White (1983) covering Tanzania, Kenya,
Uganda, and Somalia; and White (1983) covering Ruanda, Burundi, Congo, and Gabon. Each source map delineates of a wide variety
of land cover categories that differ from region to region. </div> <div style="text-align: left;font-weight: inherit;font-style:
inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> <br /> </div> <div style="text-align: left;font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align:
baseline;"> Because vegetation discontinuities exist along some of the regional borders and a perfectly continuous regional
map could not be achieved within the timeframe and budget of the project, the final regional map is made up of six independent
sub-regional maps. The data set also includes a cross-referenced database of woody plant species, in order of species dominance, associated
with all mapped units. </div> <div style="text-align: left;font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /> </div> <div style="text-align: left;font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="">The
following areas and vegetation types were excluded according to the sub-project objectives, appearing as transparent in the
map : areas north of the Equator, evergreen moist forests, pure grasslands, desert and arid regions, Fynbos. These areas are
indicated as such on the final product map. Main water bodies are also mapped specifically.</span> </div> <div style="text-align:
left;font-weight: inherit;font-style: inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> <br /> </div> <div style="font-weight: inherit;font-style:
inherit;vertical-align: baseline;"> Note: the database (in CSV format) of woody plant species is attached to this dataset
under the "attachments" tab. </div> <div> <br /> </div></span> </div> </div></span> </div>
Citation
Title SAFARI 2000 NBI Vegetation Map of the Savannas of Southern Africa - Congo Area