Abundância, diversidade e uso de espécies vegetais arbóreas dentro e fora do Parque Nacional de Maputo

Abstract

Plant diversity is one of the most important components of terrestrial ecosystems, as it plays a critical role in the maintenance and stability of an ecosystem. Mozambique's biodiversity, particularly in terms of quality, is internationally recognized as being of global importance and is among the best preserved in Africa. However, there is still a lack of information on the abundance, diversity and, above all, the forms of use of many tree species inside and outside the Maputo National Park, and these were the aspects addressed in this study. In addition, the species were classified according to the IUCN Red List. Throughout the study, georeferenced and direct counts of the individuals present in 17 100m x 100m squares were made, of which eight were demarcated within the PNAM boundaries and nine were demarcated outside the PNAM boundaries. Subsequently, a literature review was carried out on the uses of the species by rural communities and online databases were consulted. A classification was also made to understand the conservation status of each species based on the IUCN Red List. A total of 57 plant species were found, which are dominated by the Fabaceae family. The study area showed a high diversity of species with relatively high diversity indices. Between the two areas, significant differences were observed between the total number of individuals (p-value = 0.032; t-value = 5.3889) and the species recorded showed a diversity of uses by rural communities, of which medicinal, food and construction uses stand out. When comparing the average density between the two areas in the different use categories, within the PNAM the species in the unused category had a higher average density, while outside the PNAM the category with the highest species density was the firewood category. Most species have been identified as native, only two species are introduced, the largest number of species are of least concern according to the IUCN Red List classification.(TRADUÇAO NOSSA)