Local tree names, uses and species identification in Mozambique

The dataset includes lists of local tree names, tree species identification and local uses of trees in seventeen different villages across three Districts in Mozambique, Africa. We collated species lists from seven villages in Mabalane District, Gaza Province, ten villages in Marrupa District, Niassa Province, and ten villages in Gurue District Zambezia Province. Data were collected in Mabalane between May-Sep 2014, Marrupa between May-Aug 2015, and Gurue between Sep-Dec 2015. Lists of local tree names were collated from several forest plots and agricultural field surveys occurring within the sampled villages, and their species identified in the field by the authors and/or from dried and pressed samples by botanists at the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo. Tree species uses by local populations were recorded through a mixture of key informant interviews, focus group discussions, village surveys and ad-hoc observations. This dataset was collected as part of the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) funded ACES project , which aims to understand how changing land use impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing of the rural poor in Mozambique. All data were quality assured by the first and second author. When in the field, all teams were trained in data collection methods to ensure consistent robust records. All field teams had a translator to translate from the local language to Portuguese or English. All observations recorded in Portuguese were translated to English by the lead author. If several different species were identified for the same local name a preference for the identification made in the field, rather than that of the dried sample, was made, as correct identification of whole trees are more likely to be correct. If identification was very uncertain, species were labelled as 'unknown'. Grouping all recorded local tree names and synonyms into similar sounding/spelled groups to assign a standardized local name was done by the lead for consistency.