{{nav.loginGreeting}}
  • Get data
      • Occurrences
      • GBIF API
      • Species
      • Datasets
      • Occurrence snapshots
      • Hosted portals
      • Trends
  • How-to
    • Share data

      • Quick-start guide
      • Dataset classes
      • Data hosting
      • Standards
      • Become a publisher
      • Data quality
      • Data papers
    • Use data

      • Featured data use
      • Citation guidelines
      • GBIF citations
      • Citation widget
      • Guides and documentation
  • Tools
    • Publishing

      • IPT
      • Data validator
      • GeoPick
      • New data model
      • GRSciColl
      • Suggest a dataset
      • Metabarcoding data toolkit
    • Data access and use

      • Hosted portals
      • Scientific collections
      • Data processing
      • Derived datasets
      • rgbif
      • pygbif
      • MAXENT
      • Tools catalogue
    • GBIF labs

      • Species matching
      • Name parser
      • Sequence ID
      • Relative observation trends
      • GBIF data blog
  • Community
    • Network

      • Participant network
      • Nodes
      • Publishers
      • Network contacts
      • Community forum
      • alliance for biodiversity knowledge
    • Volunteers

      • Mentors
      • Ambassadors
      • Translators
      • Citizen scientists
    • Activities

      • Capacity development
      • Programmes & projects
      • Training and learning resources
      • Data Use Club
      • Living Atlases
  • About
    • Inside GBIF

      • What is GBIF?
      • Become a member
      • Governance
      • Strategic framework
      • Work Programme
      • Funders
      • Partnerships
      • Release notes
      • Contacts
    • News & outreach

      • News
      • Subscribe
      • Events
      • Awards
      • Science Review
      • Data use
      • Thematic communities
  • User profile

ABC_Mafinga Forest Reserve Vegetation survey

Citation

Mwafongo E (2022). ABC_Mafinga Forest Reserve Vegetation survey. Version 1.3. National Herbarium & Botanic Gardens of Malawi. Sampling event dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/yjnxjg accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-05-22.

Description

Mafinga Forest reserve according to a classification by White et al. 2001 is an Afromontane, mid-altitude forest and lies between 09 59’ 00”S and 33 20’ 40” E and covers an area of about 250ha. The reserve lies at the border between Malawi and Zambia and is shared between the two countries. It lies on an altitude of 1600-1800m above the sea level

The vegetation is open canopy woodland of hills and scarps dominated by Brachystegia species, especially B. boehmii, and a degraded form of Uapaca kirkiana. Environmental Pressures and Development Inevitably, development entails environmental hazards, and environmental problems often appear as a result of inappropriate rural management through lack of appreciation of these hazards. A combination of poor soils, land unsuited for agriculture, high population growth.

Purpose

The objective of the field trip was to carry out a vegetation survey using plot sampling as the area is facing Environmental Pressures and Development

Sampling Description

Study Extent

Chitipa town was used as a base because there were no lodging places in Chisenga which necessitated daily travelling for a distance of over 80km to access the Forest reserve. The road from Chitipa town to through Chisenga up to the Malawi/Zambia boarder was used as a base for establishing transects and quadrats.

Sampling

Six transects placed 1km apart and a total of twelve quadrats (20 x 50 m) were established. Experience in a range of countries has shown that observer fatigue increases markedly if plot sizes larger than 40 x 5m are used in complex vegetation – a factor likely to be compounded in rough terrain. Transect and quadrat positions were georeferenced using a GPS.Quadrats were spaced 100m apart. In each quadrat a general list of all plants was done. For tree species DBH and tree height were recorded on a data form

Quality Control

Species which could not be identified had their samples taken for further identification at the National Herbarium in Zomba.

Method steps

  1. The road from Chitipa town to through Chisenga up to the Malawi/Zambia boarder was used as a base for establishing transects and quadrats.Six transects placed 1km apart and a total of twelve quadrats (20 x 50 m) were established.

Taxonomic Coverages

The dataset consists of plant species all identified to species level
  1. Apiales
    rank: order
  2. Celestrales
    rank: order
  3. Ericales
    rank: order
  4. Fabales
    rank: order
  5. Gentianales
    rank: order
  6. Malpighiales
    rank: order
  7. Malvales
    rank: order
  8. Myrtales
    rank: order
  9. Proteales
    rank: order
  10. Santanales
    rank: order
  11. Sapindales
    rank: order

Geographic Coverages

The reserve lies at the border between Malawi and Zambia and is shared between the two countries. It lies on an altitude of 1600-1800m above the sea level.

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Elizabeth Mwafongo
originator
position: Senior Scientific Officer
National Herbarium & Botanic Gardens of Malawi
P.O. Box 528
Zomba
South
MW
Telephone: +265 999746432
email: emwafongo@yahoo.com
Elizabeth Mwafongo
metadata author
position: Senior Scientific Officer
National Herbarium & Botanic Gardens of Malawi
P.O. Box 528
Zomba
South
MW
Telephone: +265 999746432
email: emwafongo@yahoo.com
Elizabeth Mwafongo
publisher
position: Senior Scientific Officer
National Herbarium & Botanic Gardens of Malawi
P.O. Box 528
Zomba
South
MW
Telephone: +265 999746432
email: emwafongo@yahoo.com
Elizabeth Mwafongo
administrative point of contact
position: Senior Scientific Officer
National Herbarium & Botanic Gardens of Malawi
P.O. Box 528
Zomba
South
MW
Telephone: +265 999746432
email: emwafongo@yahoo.com
What is GBIF? API FAQ Newsletter Privacy Terms and agreements Citation Code of Conduct Acknowledgements
Contact GBIF Secretariat Universitetsparken 15 DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark
GBIF is a Global Core Biodata Resource