A plant ecological study of the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng Province

English: This study was undertaken with the objective to identify and quantify different homogeneous management units on the Rietvlei Nature Reserve to facilitate more effective management as far as grazing utilization, burning and monitoring are concerned. Vegetation units had to be identified and mapped. From the communities different management units could be identified. The study area of 3 870 hectares is a proclaimed nature reserve and is situated southeast of Pretoria in the Gauteng Province. A phytosociological study of the vegetation was done using the Braun-Blanquet method. A total of 184 plots were sampled and classified using the Braun-Blanquet method and TWINSPAN. This study revealed that the vegetation of the Rietvlei Nature Reserve could be divided into six main communities, each with a number of sub-communities and some with variants. The communities identified were: Andropogon schirensis – Aristida congesta Community, Gladiolus crassifolius – Brachiaria serrata Community, Eragrostis chloromelas - Setaria sphacelata var sphacelata Community, Eragrostis chloromelas - Cynodon dactylon Community, Setaria verticillata – Phragmites australis Community and Arundinella nepalensis – Eleocharis dregeana Community. The different communities described were used as a basis for the representation of a vegetation map of the reserve and the demarcation of management areas for the Rietvlei Nature Reserve.