Page 18 - Professorial Lecture - Professor Mapaure

4. In Miombo woodlands of north western Zimbabwe, our studies have shown that
elephants alone can degrade and maintain semi-arid miombo woodland into
coppice and/or grassy formation but fire acts to speed up the process by
suppression of an already low recruitment and may lead to a grassland
formation. The woodland is thus converted to coppice (consisting of what are
popularly known as ‘gullivers’) or even to grassland, and is ‘trapped’ in that state
unless fire frequency and/or elephant densities are significantly reduced (Figure
12).

Figure 12: Conceptual model of synergistic effects of elephants and fire on
miombo woodland, possible interventions and associated faunal changes.

When the habitat characteristics change, the original faunal communities
associated with that habitat will also change as a result (e.g. woodland-adapted
large mammals may be replaced by plains game animals). This will have a significant
effect on tourism because the ecosystem structure and functioning have been
significantly altered.

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