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The debate about the sustainability and productivity of communal lands, especially in comparison with privately managed land, is far from settled. Emerging theories emphasize the spatial and temporal diversity of the environment, and are often in agreement with local opportunistic land management strategies. This study explores differences in Variables such as plant species richness, composition, and abundance of the field-layer and woody vegetation, between sites with different soils and different histories of land use (communal, private ranch, and rested from grazing), for 2 years. The results indicate that, for the study area chosen, differences in land use have not caused any major differences in the vegetation. However, there were clear differences depending on soil type, and plant production increased strongly with a slight increase in rainfall. Although people and livestock have had a strong impact on the vegetation, most indicators of degradation were absent, implying that the land has not lost its productive potential. (C) 2000 Academic Press.