Southern Africa Savanna Woody Plant Species Distribution Map

This dataset maps the distribution and dominance of woody plant species across the savannas of southern Africa. It was created by the National Botanical Institute (NBI) to account for 80% of the woody leaf area for 80% of the land south of the equator, using expert estimates from published and unpublished species lists. The final product consists of six independent sub-regional GIS shapefiles covering a 5x5 degree grid, accompanied by a cross-referenced species list.

Use Cases

• Analyzing species dominance patterns across different savanna vegetation types using the provided species lists.
• Modeling woody vegetation leaf area index contributions by individual species.
• Studying regional vegetation discontinuities by examining the six independent sub-regional maps.
• Cross-referencing land cover categories from historical source maps like Low and Rebelo (1998) or White (1983).

Strengths

• Expert-derived species contribution estimates from local botanists for dominants and subdominants.
• Covers a significant spatial target: 80% of the surface area of Africa south of the equator.
• Integrates data from multiple authoritative source maps and species lists.

Limitations

• The final map is not perfectly continuous, being composed of six independent sub-regional maps due to vegetation discontinuities and project constraints.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' date: one platform lists 2000-12-31 while another lists 2026-03-12, suggesting potential metadata errors.

Provenance

Source

National Botanical Institute (NBI), with data compilation by NASA.

Collection Method

Integration of published and unpublished species lists for vegetation types and sample plots, with species contribution estimated by local experts.

Freshness

2000-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Southern Africa, specifically regions south of the equator.