Introduction

Early explorers encountered plant species and vegetation types that were entirely unknown in Europe. Some of the methods for describing patterns in vegetation at the global scale were introduced in Chapter 2, but the description of vegetation at smaller than global scales continues to be a challenging issue in plant ecology. Accurate description is essential for both scientific research and conservation.

In the most basic way, accurate description is a first step in any scientific inquiry. Even large experiments need description – the selection of each dependent variable requires a decision about which properties are most appropriate to describe the possible responses of manipulated communities. In the case of conservation applications, accurate description provides methods to divide landscapes into ecologically similar units, which can then guide the selection of new protected areas, or suggest those areas most appropriate for urban development. Further, once each vegetation unit in a landscape is delineated, it is then possible to select the most appropriate management activities such as grazing, logging, or reforestation.