Remote sensing-based assessment of veld fire trends in multiple interwoven land tenure systems in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study used Landsat imagery, MODIS fire data and in situ meteorological data to determine emerging fire trends in interwoven multiple tenure systems in Zimbabwe. Remote sensing enabled fire trends to be determined across terrain and official records barriers. The number of fires and area burnt increased from 2001 up to 2009 then fluctuated across tenure systems. Fire events rose from 9 to 80 per year in some of the tenure systems. Complex relationships among number of fires, area burnt and weather variables within and across tenure systems were identified. The fire situation was responsive to intervention; the positive fire trends were reversed from 2009 onwards. Projected trends show that fire events could be reduced to negative values in three systems, while in two they could double by 2026. The veld fire problem could be eliminated if a holistic approach is adopted to tackle it across sectoral and land tenure divides.

Keywords:

• Veld fire
• tenure system
• fire frequency
• land reform
• burnt area

Abbreviations:

• AGRTEX: Agricultural Extension Services
• ALRP: Accelerated Land Reform Programme
• EMA: Environmental Management Agency

Acknowledgements

We would want to thank Environmental Management Agency, EMA, for the annual fire reports and Mazowe District Council for allowing the research to be carried out in their district. We also like to thank the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for freely availing Landsat and MODIS data and derived products online.