Miombo Ecoregion Vision Report - Biodiversity Foundation for Africa

Miombo Ecoregion Report, page 51
A number of protected areas (Chete, Matusadona, Charara, Hurungwe, Mana Pools, Sapi,
Chewore, Dande, Lower Zambezi) are incorporated within the area, and also a number of
CBNRM areas (Binga, Omay, Guruve in Zimbabwe, and Tchumo Tchato in Mozambique).
However, there is no formally protected area in the Mozambique portion.
The two large recreational man-made lakes are important areas for tourism, both regional and
local. There is great tourism potential, especially associated with these lakes and the Zambezi. In
addition, both lakes are very important fisheries for both the local population and commercially
(the latter principally for the introduced pelagic kapenta). An incipient trans-frontier conservation
agreement is being negotiated, but in the meantime cooperation between adjacent districts is
beginning in the form of wildlife management and utilisation.
The major threats are the rapid expansion of agriculture, particularly cotton production, outside
protected areas, mostly resulting from development projects and tsetse control. Massive changes
in hydrology and flooding regimes resulted from the construction of various dams on the
Zambezi and its tributaries, and plans exist for an additional dam on the downstream edge of the
area (Mepanda Uncua). Construction of veterinary fences is disrupting wildlife movement and
precluding some land use options. Fragmentation of habitats, particularly for large mammals, is
seen as a problem, while fish populations are threatened by both changes in hydrology and
chemical pollution. Various CBNRM projects are creating pockets of resulting increasing
welfare, and wildlife (safari hunting) is increasingly being seen as a viable land use option.
7. GREAT DYKE
The Great Dyke is a prominent, almost straight geological formation outcropping across the
middle of Zimbabwe in a NE–SW direction. There are two distinct sections, north and south. The
northern section lies north-east of Harare, while the longer southern ection loies west of Gweru
and Kadoma. Much of the Dyke consists of ultrabasic serpentine rocks, hence the derived soils
have an inverted Mg:Ca ratio that causes them to be toxic to many plants. Species have to be
specially adapted. The vegetation on the mineral-toxic soils is grassland, with Acacia woodland
on other clay soils and Brachystegia–Julbernardia woodland on the adjacent granite.
Hydromorphic grasslands on vertisols are found nearby.
There are 20–30 endemic species of plant, most of which are found on the northern section, while
only four species are confined only to the southern section. Mammal, bird and herp populations
are not particularly special. Threatened species include the palm Raphia farinifera, confined to a
few streamsides in the north, and succulents such as Euphorbia nemoralis and Aloe ortholopha,
sought after by collectors.
There are no significant protected areas, except for two small Botanic Reserves for palms in the
north and the Mavuradonha Wilderness Area on the edge of the Zambezi Valley. Most of the
area is privately owned.
Settlement and agriculture on the Great Dyke itself are minimal owing to unsuitable soils, but
there is much small-scale and large-scale commercial mining for chrome and platinum,
respectively. Small-scale mining and mine dumps do not pose a significant threat, but vegetation
clearance associated with large mine complexes and fire do. On the fertile, non-toxic, adjacent
areas, woodlands are cleared for grazing and wood. Potentials for ecotourism are good, especially
in the more scenic northern section.