Variations in Mopane Vegetation and its Use by Local People: Comparison of Four Sites in Northern Namibia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to clarify variation in mopane (Colophospermum mopane) vegetation in northern Namibia, focusing on the differences and commonalities in vegetation structure and tree uses by local people. Four study sites representing different land units classified by landscape, land use patterns, and its use by different ethnic groups were selected. Vegetation surveys at each site found mopane as the dominant species at all sites, although mopane density ranged from 217.1 to 868.7 individual trees/ha among the sites/land units. There were four types of mopane tree shape by tree height and stem number. The ratios of other tree species to mopane differed much among land units and sites. Interviews with the local people on mopane utilization found that they were highly dependent on trees as a resource for fuel and building material, and commonly used mopane at all sites. Although the mopane utilization was similar among all four sites, the non-mopane tree utilization depended on the characteristics of the tree species composition at specific sites. Mopane vegetation was naturally characterised by the dominance of mopane, but the sites were heterogeneous in species composition, mopane tree shape, and its use by local people, which were mutually interrelated.