Pearce, F.; Kinuthia, K.; Matheka, K.; Olang, R.A.; Rufino, M.

Semi-arid savanna grassland annual vegetation survey data, Kapiti Research Station, south-central Kenya, 2023-2025

https://doi.org/10.5285/590953a8-7ed3-45dc-abc4-a3aa4190865b
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This dataset is under embargo and will be made available by 30 June 2027 at the latest   Find out more »
This data contains information on semi-arid grassland plant diversity, cover and community composition collected between January 2023 and May 2025 i.e., in the three years following the 2022/23 drought, at the Kapiti Research Station and Wildlife Conservancy in Machakos Country, south-central Kenya (part of the International Livestock Research Institute). This comprises:
1. Results of annual surveys of total vegetation cover and abundance (% cover) by plant species carried out during the rainy season (April/May) from 2023 to 2025 at 24 plots of 25 x 25 metres (eight plots in each of three sites).
2. Results of a seedbank experiment undertaken in 2023 using soil samples from the same 24 plots.
3. Basic soil parameters (topsoil clay, sand, total carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus content) for the three sites.
Publication date: 2026-07-16

Format

Comma-separated values (CSV)

Spatial information

Study area
Spatial representation type
Tabular (text)
Spatial reference system
WGS 84

Temporal information

Temporal extent
2023-01-01    to    2025-05-31

Provenance & quality

Data were collected between 2023 and 2025 and analysed between 2023 and 2026. The collection and analysis methods are fully described in the metadata document. QA steps included: (1) Data were entered and checked by different people (2) Species names were checked to ensure no duplicates exist in the dataset due to misspellings or alternative spellings / nomenclature. (3) Plant ID was verified using photographs and samples where queries remained. (4) Cross checks were completed such as comparing results of visual estimate of vegetation cover with total abundances by individual species.

Licensing and constraints

This dataset is under embargo and will be made available by 30 June 2027 at the latest   Find out more »

This dataset will be available under the terms of the Open Government Licence

Cite this dataset as:
Pearce, F.; Kinuthia, K.; Matheka, K.; Olang, R.A.; Rufino, M. (2026). Semi-arid savanna grassland annual vegetation survey data, Kapiti Research Station, south-central Kenya, 2023-2025. NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/590953a8-7ed3-45dc-abc4-a3aa4190865b

BibTeX RIS

Correspondence/contact details

Pearce, F.
Lancaster University
 f.pearce@lancaster.ac.uk

Authors

Pearce, F.
Lancaster University
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5437-2262
Kinuthia, K.
International Livestock Research Institute
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5275-8182
Matheka, K.
National Museums of Kenya
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6255-1874
Olang, R.A.
Technical University of Munich
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0892-3455
Rufino, M.
Technical University of Munich
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4293-3290

Other contacts

Publisher
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
 info@eidc.ac.uk
Rights holder
International Livestock Research Institute
Rights holder
Lancaster University
Rights holder
Technical University of Munich
Rights holder
German Academic Exchange Service
Rights holder
Natural Environment Research Council
Custodian
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
 info@eidc.ac.uk

Additional metadata

Topic categories
biota
environment
farming
geoscientificInformation
Keywords
Agriculture , Biodiversity , Biodiversity , Climate and climate change , Community composition , Drought , Ecosystem , Grassland , Kapiti Research Station , Kenya , Plant diversity , Post-drought recovery , Rangeland , Recovery , Restoration , Seedbank , Semi-arid , Soil , Vegetation
Funding
Natural Environment Research Council Award: NE/S007423/1
Technical University of Munich
DAAD Germany
International Livestock Research Institute