INITIATION AND MAINTENANCE OF DEGRADED LANDSCAPE IN THE SINAMATELLA AREA OF HWANGE NATIONAL-PARK, ZIMBABWE

The paper reports a survey of erosion levels in the Sinamatella area o f the Hwange National Park of Zimbabwe, a region that has experienced various levels of human activity in the past. Based on correlative ana lyses, present erosion patterns have probably been exacerbated by past human activity but are probably now maintained by local high concentr ations of a native grazer The study was carried out on Madumabisa muds tones in Colophospermum mopane woodland, where about 25% of the study area shows signs of erosion. The erosion is concentrated in areas arou nd hills where formerly there was much human activity. The eroded area s have low grass and litter cover, are highly compacted and have low l evels of organic matter: Some herbivores, notably impala, concentrate on eroded areas and thus maintain these areas in a degraded state. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.