Regeneration and Restoration Status of Miombo Woodland Following Land Use Land Cover Changes at the Buffer Zone of Gile National Park's Central Mozambique

Abstract

AbstractIn the context of the current intensified disturbances of miombo woodland, its regenerating capacity is fundamental to withstand such disturbances. Miombo woodland in the buffer zone of Gile national park (Gile NP) is facing land cover change. This study aimed to assess regeneration structure, the status of restoration, and factors affecting regeneration of miombo woodland in the buffer zone of Gile NP . In total 12 transects, 48 plots, and 240 subplots were sampled purposively in dense miombo woodland (DMWL), open miombo woodland (OMWL), and abandoned agricultural land (AAL)to collect data . Household interviews, key informant interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FGD) were used to collect socio-economic data. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis test, chi-square test, and regression were used to analyze data.  Data collected through FGD and KIIs were analyzed qualitatively. A total of 1863 matured woody individuals representing 85 species and 29 families were identified. Matured woody species density was significantly different between AAL&DMWL and DMWL & OMWL but there was no significant difference in woody species density between OMWL and AAL. Woody species diameter in each land use type showed inversed J-shaped size class distribution and there was variation in the values of De Liocurt “q” coefficient among each class, indicating the decrease in each class was not uniform. In total 20 woody stumps and 21 dead woody species were registered. 903 regenerated individuals representing 70 species and 23 families were identified. Regeneration density was significantly different between each land-use type in which the mean density of regeneration in DMWL, AAL, and OMWL were 39.87±13.82, 50.25±21.1, and 23 ± 9.98 stems ha −1 respectively. The most regenerated family was Fabaceae. All respondents reported that no assisted restoration activity was/is taking place in their area. Respondents identified the five most factors affecting the regeneration of miombo woodland of which, slash and burn agriculture, and grazing by animals were ranked as first and last respectively. The buffer zone of Gile NP is characterized by a moderate diversity of woody species, with the number of regenerated woody species increasing in AAL. Increasing pressure for land demand and other disturbances increasingly become a determining factor for woodland regeneration. Our findings suggest the importance of diversifying sources of income, creating a market value chain for their product, and strengthening collaboration between the park and community surrounding the park could reduce the dependence of the community from slash and burn agriculture as well as safeguard the park from degradation and maintain the livelihood of the community.

Keywords: Buffer zone of National Park, land use type, Regeneration, Disturbance factors