Assessing the aftermath of the fast track land reform programme in Zimbabwe on land-use and land-cover changes

Abstract

An understanding of the role of land policies as major drivers behind tree species diversity reduction in southern Africa is still rudimentary. This study, therefore, sought to assess the aftermath of the fast track land reform programme in Zimbabwe on land-use and land-cover changes. Specifically, we characterised the spatio-temporal changes in land-cover between 2000 and 2010 as a result of the land reform policies in Quagga Pan Ranch, Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe. Secondly, we assessed the effects of the fast track land reform programme of 2000 on tree species diversity. Finally, we attempted to establish whether there was selective logging in newly resettled areas and also sought to understand the reasons behind selective tree logging. Land-cover changes were characterised after classifying Landsat satellite images of 2000 and 2010. Tree species data were collected using quadrats in newly resettled and unsettled areas for determining the state of selective logging. Questionnaires and observations were used to understand the patterns of diversity loss. Results show significant changes in land-use and land-cover between 2000 and 2010 with an increase in agricultural areas and a decrease in woodlands, specifically in newly resettled areas. Significant differences (α < 0.05) were noted between tree species diversity in areas that have been resettled and in areas that have not been resettled. Tree species diversity is relatively very high in areas that have not been resettled and very low in areas that have been resettled. Colophospermum mopane is the most used tree species because it's a cheap source of fuel and it's durable in domestic uses. It can be concluded that agricultural expansion is necessary for sustaining livelihoods as long as proper conservation methods of the tree species and the environment are maintained.

Keywords:

• land-use policy
• deforestation
• remote sensing
• land-cover change

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank all the anonymous reviewers. Also the community in Quagga ranch is thanked for responding to all our questions as well as allowing us to conduct our study in their area. We also thank National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) for providing the Landsat images used in this study free of charge.