The natural vegetation cover of Al-Dafna plateau in Northeast Tobruk, Libya.

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to assess the current status of the vegetative cover and the biological diversity in Al-Dafna plateau, as the selected study area has never been botanically studied before. A vegetation survey was conducted in the period between 2019-2022 for three consecutive growing seasons. The total number of the recorded plant species surveyed in the study area is 182 species belonging to 36 different families and 139 genera of vascular plants, representing 8.71% of the total species, 16.46% of total genera and 24.82% of total plant families in Libyan flora. These species were classified into three major groups according to their duration (life-span) as follows 62 perennial (33.51%), 118 annual (65.38 %) and 2 biennial species (1.09%). The distribution among the collected plants was characterised by a high proportion of annuals. Asteraceae had the highest contribution 31 species (17%), followed by Fabaceae 21 species (12%), Amaranthaceae 19 species (10%), Brassicaceae 16 species (9%) and Poaceae 12 species (7%). The results showed the largest genera were Plantago L. and Polygonum L. as each genus contained 5 species. Moreover, thirteen wild medicinal plant species were recorded. Importantly, six endemic species were recorded in the study area, representing 7% of the total endemic plant species in Libya. This study concludes that there is a significant diversity of plant species in the area of study. From this study, it seems that overgrazing has the grandest impact on vegetation cover in Al-Dafna plateau.  The results of the present research suggest that conservation strategies should be taken to preserve the plant community structure in Al-Dafna plateau.