Die plantekologie van die Waterberg Platopark

English: The object of this study is to provide a foundation for management based on sound scientific procedures. To classify the vegetation into different homogenous plant communities, the wellknown Braun-Blanquet-technique was used. A monitorsystem was applied to determine baseline data to evaluate future changes in the plant composition. The basal cover and relative frequency of the grasses were determined by using an altered wheelpoint method. The production of the standing crop was obtained by using the tuft-clipping method and quadrat clipping method. The production of the available browsing of the trees and shrubs was also calculated. The key fodder plants of the most numerous animal, the eland, was obtained through a feed preference study. The standing crop of these key plants was used to provide a system which could be utilized to classify the plant communities according to the feeding preferences of animals. The vegetation of the Waterberg~plateau Park can be described as a homogenous deciduous tree savanna where the shrub layer has become closed thicket Acacia atxacantha,. The vegetation of the Waterberg-plateau Park was classified into six major communities which were divided into a further 23 smaller units. The absence of well defined ecotones was apparent especially between the TerminaZia sericea-plant communities. These deep sand communities cover the greatest (29 000 ha) part of the game park, followed by the PeZtophorum africanum-rock communities which cover more or less 10 000 ha. According to the results obtained from the monitoring project, certain palatable grass species, for example Anthephora pubescens and Digitaria polevansii did benefit by the veld fires while SporoboZus fimbriatus was adversely affected. Similar observations which are important for management were made 1n the tree and shrub layers where the unpalatable Ochna pulchra proved to be sensitive to fire. This species is also partly responsible for the scrub encroachment. For the rest very few changes were observed in the plant composition. According to results determined by other workers and the quadrat-clipping method, the standing crop values obtained by the tuft-clipping method was too high. The highest standing crop (946 kg ha-1) is furnished by the Anthephora pubescens - Eragrostis superba-plant community. According to the carrying capacity determinations the Terminalia sericea - Melhania acuminata-plant community can sustain the highest number of animals, while the gamepark as a whole can carry more or less 2000 grazers. The results acquired from food preference study has indicated that although the eland is a selective feeder, it utilizes a wide range (42 species) of plant species. It was observed that during winter the eland ate herbs and a great amount of dry leaves off the ground. Terminalia sericea and Lonchocarpus nelsii proved to be very high on the preference list of these animals. With the help of the standing crop of the key fodder plant species of the eland, it was determined that the woody Terminalia sericea - Melhania acuminata-plant community is the best eland habitat in the game park. The available knowledge, obtained from this project, was used to provide the park with the necessary recommendations to place the future management on a sound scientific basis.