Vegetation
Senior 1 · Geography
Vegetation
Lesson 1 of 3
22 min
In one day you could drive from the dripping, dark forest of Nyungwe in the south-west, past the tea estates and eucalyptus woodlots of the hills, to the golden grass and flat-topped trees of Akagera in the east. The plants change so much that the three places look like different countries. The plant cover of a place is its vegetation, and it is one of the clearest clues to its climate, soil and history.
Definition
Vegetation: all the plants growing in an area, taken together: trees, shrubs, grasses and smaller plants. Example: the vegetation of Akagera is mainly savanna grassland with scattered acacia trees.
Definition
Natural vegetation: plant cover that has grown by itself, without being planted by people, and is suited to the local climate and soil. Example: the montane rainforest of Nyungwe.
Definition
Planted vegetation: plants sown or planted and managed by people, such as crops, plantations and gardens. Example: a eucalyptus woodlot or a tea estate.
Figure 1. The main kinds of vegetation.
Definition
Montane forest: evergreen forest growing on mountains in the tropics, in a cool, wet climate, often covered in mist and rich in ferns, mosses and epiphytes. Example: Nyungwe, one of the largest blocks of montane forest in East and Central Africa.
Definition
Savanna: tropical grassland with scattered trees and shrubs, found where there is a long dry season. Example: the grassy plains and wooded hills of Akagera.
Definition
Swamp (wetland) vegetation: plants that grow in waterlogged ground, such as papyrus, reeds and sedges. Example: the papyrus of Rugezi marsh and of the wetlands along the Akagera River.
| Type | Where | Characteristics | Typical plants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montane rainforest | Nyungwe; Gishwati–Mukura; lower Virunga slopes | Evergreen, dense, several layers, cool and very wet | Tall hardwoods, tree ferns, orchids, mosses |
| Bamboo and high-mountain vegetation | Virunga volcanoes | Bamboo thickets, then woodland and giant plants higher up | Bamboo, Hagenia trees, giant lobelias and groundsels |
| Savanna | Akagera and the eastern lowlands | Grass with scattered trees; dry season, fires | Acacia trees, tall grasses |
| Swamp and wetland | Rugezi; Akagera valley; valley bottoms | Waterlogged, tall reeds | Papyrus, reeds, sedges |
| Plantations | Hillsides across the country | Planted rows of one kind of tree, cut for wood | Eucalyptus, pine, grevillea |
| Farmland | Almost every hill and valley | Small, mixed fields and terraces | Bananas, beans, maize, tea, coffee |
Worked example: how much of Rwanda do the big parks cover?
Nyungwe National Park covers about 1,019 km² and Akagera about 1,122 km². Rwanda's total area is 26,338 km². What percentage of the country is each park?
Together they cover about 8% of Rwanda. Most of the rest of the land is farmland, plantations and settlements: natural vegetation now survives mainly in protected areas.
Important
Case study: natural or planted? The hills around Bisoke
At the foot of Mount Bisoke, fields of potatoes and pyrethrum run right up to the edge of Volcanoes National Park, broken by rows of eucalyptus. Above the park boundary the vegetation changes suddenly to bamboo and mountain forest. The boundary is not natural: it marks where farming stops. Once, forest covered the lower slopes too, but it was cleared long ago for farms. Planted and natural vegetation can sit side by side, separated only by a stone wall.
The diversity of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda, by Nyungwe National Park (15 min). Watch the first 5 minutes and list three plants or animals that show Nyungwe is a montane rainforest.
A visitor from abroad says: "Rwanda is very green, so it must still be mostly forest." Using Figure 1 and the table, explain why this is not true, and what most of the green is.
Tip
Natural = grew by itself; planted = put there by people. For each vegetation type, learn one place, one plant and one feature: Nyungwe, tree ferns, many layers; Akagera, acacia, long dry season; Rugezi, papyrus, waterlogged.
Practice
Remember
Sources and credits
The lesson text, classification diagram, table, worked example and practice are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
