Katonga Wildlife Reserve - Frontier-publications.co.uk

Katonga Wildlife Reserve 92.0 VEGETATION SURVEY (Karen L. Zwick)2.1 SummaryA vegetation survey of the Katonga Wildlife Reserve, including an assessment of disturbance,was carried out between July and September 1996. All 207 1km UTM grid squares within thereserve were sampled at a sampling intensity of about 10%. One-hundred and fifty-fivespecies of flowering plant from 35 families were identified. Most are typical of the localityand vegetation types. Five major vegetation types were identified and described: savannahwoodland/wooded grassland mosaic, which covers most of the reserve, thickets, riverinewoodland, and seasonal and permanent swamps. Almost a third of the reserve showedevidence of recent disturbance. The results of previous vegetation and disturbance studies arebriefly reviewed, and past and possible future changes discussed.2.2 Introduction2.2.1 AimsThe vegetation survey aims to:• collect baseline data on the presence and distribution of flowering plants (Angiospermae),in order to compile a preliminary annotated checklist for the reserve;• describe both physiognomically and floristically the major vegetation types found withinthe reserve; and• record evidence of disturbance.Distribution records are submitted to the National Biodiversity Data Bank at the MakerereUniversity Institute of Environment and Natural Resources.2.2.2 Previous studiesThe vegetation of the reserve was mapped in 1959 by Langdale-Brown (1960) as part of theAgriculture Department’s memoirs series on the vegetation of Uganda. He described 27physiognomic vegetation types, and detailed 79 plant communities in western Uganda, threeand five of which respectively are found within the reserve (Fig. 2.1, Fig. 2.2).Frontier-Uganda Wildlife Protected Areas Project September 1997Baseline Surveys Programme Report No. 9