Assessment of Camel Feed Resources: Woody Species Stand Structure, Species Richness and Diversity in Tsabong Ecotourism Camel Park, South-Western Botswana

Stand structure, diversity and regeneration status of woody species, were studied in Tsabong Ecotourism Camel Park (TECP), south-western Botswana. Regeneration status of the woody species, stand structure i.e., population structure, density, abundance, frequency, dominance, richness, diversity and evenness and important value index (IVI) were determined by genera and family, we used 40 quadrats of 20 m × 20 m placed systematically within TECP. There were 11 woody species in total, from 5 families and nine genera. The woody species exhibited a diversity of 2.1 and an evenness of 0.6. The average density of the woody species was 3,585 individuals ha^–1 and varied from 768 to 19 individuals ha^–1. In terms of density, the five woody species with the highest density (≥ 100 individual ha^–1) were Senegalia mellifera, Elephantorrhiza elephantina, Rhigozium trichtomum, Vachellia karoo and Vachellia erioloba. Woody species occurred with frequencies ranging from 7 to 78%. The most frequently recorded woody species were V. erioloba, S. mellifera, E. elephantina, G. flavescens and S. italica. The dominance of woody species varied from almost 0 to 4 ha^–1. The dominant species included V. erioloba, B. albitrunca and V. karroo. Nine of the species exhibited dominance values of 0 or 1 0ha^–1. The ecological importance of the woody species is represented by the IVI, which ranged from 3 to 89%. The woody species with an IVI of ≥ 20%, ranked by ecological importance from highest to lowest, were V. erioloba, S. mellifera, E. elephantina, V. karoo and R. trichotomum. The population structures of only 27% of the woody species were stable, whereas most woody species (73%) showed unstable population structures, with hindered natural regeneration. Several potential research directions were presented with suggestions for the future sustainable management of TECP.