Summary

The miombo biome is dominated by trees of the genera Brachystegia, Julbernardia, Isoberlinia and their associates Miombo woodlands are habitats for mammalian and bird species in and outside protected areas of Zimbabwe. They are also a source of human livelihood in terms of ecosystem goods (particularly timber, fuel wood; construction poles and non-timber forest products) and services (watershed and soil protection). Climate variability, fire (both anthropogenic and natural) and clearance for agriculture are major drivers of miombo woodland degradation. There has been a marked decrease in area occupied by miombo over the recent years, and in most communal areas, the woodland is severely degraded. This is attributed largely to land clearance for agriculture and increasing demand for tobacco curing and domestic fuel wood.

Human population dynamics in the Hurungwe communal lands in the mid-Zambezi valley, is reflected in increased deforestation which is partly explained by agricultural intensification. The Zimbabwe Forestry Commission reports a national deforestation rate of 330 000 ha per year. Natural miombo woodlands have been converted to agricultural land for crop production especially with recent increases in tobacco farming. In order to develop a sustainable woodland management guide, a resources assessment is required. This necessitates the determination of current miombo woodland status in Hurungwe as a critical step towards formulation of sustainable woodland management guidelines. In this regard, this study seeks to map the distribution of remnant miombo communities, characterise the nature and extent of human disturbance, establish their structure and composition, and estimate their carbon stocks along a disturbance gradient from Mana Pools National Park to Chundu Communal Lands in Hurungwe District, Zimbabwe.