Land use history of Jebel Marra,Sudan, as related to the present distribution of woody vegetation

This study attempts to relate vegetation distribution to land use history in Jebel Marra, the Democratic Republic of the Sudan. There are evidences that most,if not all, of the woody vegetation communities in Jebel Marra have been derived from some more complex types by continuous disturbance ssince antiquity. Here past and contemporary land use types are described and associated to woody plants distribution. Empirical stratified sampling methods of plant geographers and ecologists are applied to both natural and artificial systems. Frequencies, densities and diversities for all woody plant communities are estimated by standard ecological indices. It was found that throughout known history woody plant communities were subjected to different degrees of suppression. Thus, the present distribution of the woody plant communities reflects the different stages as well as modes of suppression. Drastic population movements and the resulting changes in land use types since antiquity, seem to be the chief explanation behind the variations in modes of suppression.