The vegetation of the Okavango River Valley has previously only been described in general terms along the gradient from
base of the valley to the top of the sand plateau, without the clear definition of different vegetation types or distinct vegetation composition.
Yet the valley bottom supports a large part of the population within the region, who are dependent on ecosystem services provided
by the vegetation. A Braun-Blanquet type survey was conducted to describe the vegetation of the Okavango River Valley in the
Kavango West Region of Namibia, with special emphasis on the floodplain vegetation. The survey followed the guidelines set out for
the “Vegetation Survey of Namibia” project. The data was classified using the modified TWINSPAN procedure in Juice, resulting in
four higher-order syntaxa and 11 vegetation associations. We described these associations informally according to diagnostic species,
species richness and environmental variables. In the case of floodplain and wetland associations, information regarding the flooding
regime (depth, duration and probability of flooding) is provided. Although the higher-order groupings within this association come out
very clearly, only the wetlands could be related to similar higher-order syntaxa described for the oshana wetlands in the Cuvelai delta.
The placement and validity of the other three higher-order syntaxa is unclear at this stage, and needs to be addressed in a synopsis of
all existing vegetation descriptions for the greater Kalahari ecoregion. The various vegetation associations can very clearly be associated
with distinct positions in the landscape. The degree of flooding at the one extreme, and the sandiness of the soil on the other extreme,
defines the vegetation type and composition. The Acacia erioloba—Schinziophyton rautanenii association (7) has been cleared
and ploughed to at least 90%, with only small patches of this vegetation remaining. Expansion of fields into the sands of the terrace
embankment is worrisome, leading to fears of further soil degradation and ultimately desertification. Although signs of overgrazing are
visible within the floodplains, this cannot be distinctly quantified as yet. Overgrazing in the wetlands will lead to the destruction of fish
spawning and breeding habitats, damaging the other major food source of the people of the region