Ngoma Forest is one of the eleven major vegetation types in Kafue National Park. Between 1997 and 2002, a study was undertaken to quantify the vegetation and landscape of Ngoma Forest. The key vegetation measurement variables taken from fourteen 20m X 20m sampling plots were: height, diameter at breast height (DBH) and crown size. In addition to vegetation measurements, data on terrain, soil, water and fire occurrence were recorded from each sampling plot. Observations regarding the presence of faunal species were done based on actual sightings and signs such as droppings, nests, foot prints, debarking of trees, feathers, hairs and sounds. Results of the study indicates that Ngoma Forest terrain is almost flat to very flat with generally straight slope of 0 to 3% and altitude ranging from 1,050m to 1,120m above sea level. The Forest occurs on strong acidic and well-drained sandy-clay and sandy-loam with pH range of 4.4 to 5.3. Baphia massaiensis, Friesodielsia obovata, Baikiaea plurijuga, Pterocarpus lucens, Combretum celastroides C. mossambicense, and C. elaeagnoides contribute more than 80% to the physical structure. The tree layer consists of tall trees in the height range of 18 to 22m and is dominated by Baikiaea plurijuga and Pterocarpus lucens with isolated stands of Entandrophragma caudatum, Ficus sur, Burkea africana and Erythrophleum africanum. The second layer consists of trees above 6m but less than 18m and is characterized by Philenoptera violacea, Pterocarpus rotundifolius, Xeroderis stuhlmannii, Dalbergiella nyasae, Strychnos potatorum and S. pungens. The third layer consist of small trees and shrubs rarely reaching the height of 6m and is characterized by Croton megalobotrys, Friesodielsia obovata, Combretum elaeagnoides, C. mossambicense, C. celastroides, Duranta erecta, Citropsis daweana, Grewia flavescens, Dalbergia martinii, Pteleopsis anisoptera and P. myrtifolia. The species diversity of Ngoma Forest is relatively low but comparatively higher than Mopane, Combretacea and Acacia woodlands. The tree / shrub density calculations indicated 1,475 stems per hectare while the mean biomass calculations were 122.6 tons per hectare and 1.5 tons per hectare for trees and shrubs respectively. The extent of Ngoma Forest in 1985 was 34km2 but the Forest had shrunk to about 18km2 by 2002. The Forest is likely to shrink further while the scrubland around the Forest is going to expand. This habitat shift is bound to adversely affect the habitat range of a number of ungulates, carnivores, primates, rodents and birds. Some management interventions have been suggested in order to protect this unique habitat.
| Published in |
American Journal of Environmental Protection (Volume 6, Issue 1-1)
This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Ecosystem Carbon Stock Variation Along Altitudinal and Slope Gradient |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12 |
| Page(s) | 9-16 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Ngoma, Forest, Trees, Biomass, Habitat
| [1] | CHIDUMAYO, E. N. (1988). A re-assessment of effects of fire on Miombo regeneration in the Zambian Copperbelt. J. Tropical Ecol. 4: 361–372. |
| [2] | GIBSON, W. P. and MITCHELL, A. J. B. (1987). A Soil Laboratory Field Manual. Land Resources Development Center, Surrey, England. 52pp. |
| [3] | GUY, P. R. (1981). Changes in the biomass and productivity of woodlands in the Sengwa Wildlife Research Area, Zimbabwe. J. Applied Ecol. (18): 507–519. |
| [4] | HOUGH, J. L. (1993). Why burn the bush? Social approaches to bush-fire management in West African national parks. Biological Conservation 65: 23–28. |
| [5] | KRUGER, E. J. (1984). Effects of fire on vegetation structure and dynamics. In Booysen, P. de V. and Tainton,, N. M. (eds). Ecological Effects of Fire in South African Ecosystems. Ecological Studies 48. Springer-Verlag, New York: 220–243. |
| [6] | MWIMA, H. K. (1986). Analysis of Ngoma Forest in Kafue National Park – A Research Proposal. In Piearce, G. D. (ed) The Zambezi Teak Forests. Zambia Forest Department: 110–120. |
| [7] | MWIMA, H. K. (2005). Quantitative Landscape Ecological Analysis of the Kafue National Park in Zambia with particular emphasis on the vegetation. Doctoral Thesis, Kyushu University. 250pp. |
| [8] | MWIMA, H. K. (2006). Vegetation Monitoring Manual for Kafue National Park. Zambia Wildlife Authority. 66pp. |
| [9] | SMITH, P. P. (1998). A reconnaissance survey of the vegetation of the North Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Bothalia 28,2: 197–211. |
| [10] | TRAPNELL, C. G. (1959). Ecological results of woodland burning experiments in Northern Rhodesia. J. Ecol. 129: 129–168 |
| [11] | USHER, M. B. (n.d.). Quantitative aspects of the collection and analysis of inventory data. In Promila Kapoor and James White (eds). Conservation Biology: A Training Manual for Biological Diversity and Genetic Resources: 117–141. |
| [12] | WWF – SARPO (WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE – SOUTHERN AFRICA REGIONAL PROGRAMME OFFICE) (2004). The Miombo Ecoregion – Conservation for future generations. Brochure. |
| [13] | ZIMBA, S. C. (1986). Fire protection and related management problems in the Zambian Teak Forests. In Piearce, G. D. (ed) The Zambezi Teak Forests. Zambia Forest Department: 302–318. |
APA Style
Henry Kankomba Mwima. (2017). Quantitative Analysis of Ngoma Forest in Kafue National Park, Zambia. American Journal of Environmental Protection, 6(1-1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12
ACS Style
Henry Kankomba Mwima. Quantitative Analysis of Ngoma Forest in Kafue National Park, Zambia. Am. J. Environ. Prot. 2017, 6(1-1), 9-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12,
author = {Henry Kankomba Mwima},
title = {Quantitative Analysis of Ngoma Forest in Kafue National Park, Zambia},
journal = {American Journal of Environmental Protection},
volume = {6},
number = {1-1},
pages = {9-16},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12},
abstract = {Ngoma Forest is one of the eleven major vegetation types in Kafue National Park. Between 1997 and 2002, a study was undertaken to quantify the vegetation and landscape of Ngoma Forest. The key vegetation measurement variables taken from fourteen 20m X 20m sampling plots were: height, diameter at breast height (DBH) and crown size. In addition to vegetation measurements, data on terrain, soil, water and fire occurrence were recorded from each sampling plot. Observations regarding the presence of faunal species were done based on actual sightings and signs such as droppings, nests, foot prints, debarking of trees, feathers, hairs and sounds. Results of the study indicates that Ngoma Forest terrain is almost flat to very flat with generally straight slope of 0 to 3% and altitude ranging from 1,050m to 1,120m above sea level. The Forest occurs on strong acidic and well-drained sandy-clay and sandy-loam with pH range of 4.4 to 5.3. Baphia massaiensis, Friesodielsia obovata, Baikiaea plurijuga, Pterocarpus lucens, Combretum celastroides C. mossambicense, and C. elaeagnoides contribute more than 80% to the physical structure. The tree layer consists of tall trees in the height range of 18 to 22m and is dominated by Baikiaea plurijuga and Pterocarpus lucens with isolated stands of Entandrophragma caudatum, Ficus sur, Burkea africana and Erythrophleum africanum. The second layer consists of trees above 6m but less than 18m and is characterized by Philenoptera violacea, Pterocarpus rotundifolius, Xeroderis stuhlmannii, Dalbergiella nyasae, Strychnos potatorum and S. pungens. The third layer consist of small trees and shrubs rarely reaching the height of 6m and is characterized by Croton megalobotrys, Friesodielsia obovata, Combretum elaeagnoides, C. mossambicense, C. celastroides, Duranta erecta, Citropsis daweana, Grewia flavescens, Dalbergia martinii, Pteleopsis anisoptera and P. myrtifolia. The species diversity of Ngoma Forest is relatively low but comparatively higher than Mopane, Combretacea and Acacia woodlands. The tree / shrub density calculations indicated 1,475 stems per hectare while the mean biomass calculations were 122.6 tons per hectare and 1.5 tons per hectare for trees and shrubs respectively. The extent of Ngoma Forest in 1985 was 34km2 but the Forest had shrunk to about 18km2 by 2002. The Forest is likely to shrink further while the scrubland around the Forest is going to expand. This habitat shift is bound to adversely affect the habitat range of a number of ungulates, carnivores, primates, rodents and birds. Some management interventions have been suggested in order to protect this unique habitat.},
year = {2017}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Quantitative Analysis of Ngoma Forest in Kafue National Park, Zambia AU - Henry Kankomba Mwima Y1 - 2017/01/20 PY - 2017 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12 T2 - American Journal of Environmental Protection JF - American Journal of Environmental Protection JO - American Journal of Environmental Protection SP - 9 EP - 16 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-5699 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajeps.s.2017060101.12 AB - Ngoma Forest is one of the eleven major vegetation types in Kafue National Park. Between 1997 and 2002, a study was undertaken to quantify the vegetation and landscape of Ngoma Forest. The key vegetation measurement variables taken from fourteen 20m X 20m sampling plots were: height, diameter at breast height (DBH) and crown size. In addition to vegetation measurements, data on terrain, soil, water and fire occurrence were recorded from each sampling plot. Observations regarding the presence of faunal species were done based on actual sightings and signs such as droppings, nests, foot prints, debarking of trees, feathers, hairs and sounds. Results of the study indicates that Ngoma Forest terrain is almost flat to very flat with generally straight slope of 0 to 3% and altitude ranging from 1,050m to 1,120m above sea level. The Forest occurs on strong acidic and well-drained sandy-clay and sandy-loam with pH range of 4.4 to 5.3. Baphia massaiensis, Friesodielsia obovata, Baikiaea plurijuga, Pterocarpus lucens, Combretum celastroides C. mossambicense, and C. elaeagnoides contribute more than 80% to the physical structure. The tree layer consists of tall trees in the height range of 18 to 22m and is dominated by Baikiaea plurijuga and Pterocarpus lucens with isolated stands of Entandrophragma caudatum, Ficus sur, Burkea africana and Erythrophleum africanum. The second layer consists of trees above 6m but less than 18m and is characterized by Philenoptera violacea, Pterocarpus rotundifolius, Xeroderis stuhlmannii, Dalbergiella nyasae, Strychnos potatorum and S. pungens. The third layer consist of small trees and shrubs rarely reaching the height of 6m and is characterized by Croton megalobotrys, Friesodielsia obovata, Combretum elaeagnoides, C. mossambicense, C. celastroides, Duranta erecta, Citropsis daweana, Grewia flavescens, Dalbergia martinii, Pteleopsis anisoptera and P. myrtifolia. The species diversity of Ngoma Forest is relatively low but comparatively higher than Mopane, Combretacea and Acacia woodlands. The tree / shrub density calculations indicated 1,475 stems per hectare while the mean biomass calculations were 122.6 tons per hectare and 1.5 tons per hectare for trees and shrubs respectively. The extent of Ngoma Forest in 1985 was 34km2 but the Forest had shrunk to about 18km2 by 2002. The Forest is likely to shrink further while the scrubland around the Forest is going to expand. This habitat shift is bound to adversely affect the habitat range of a number of ungulates, carnivores, primates, rodents and birds. Some management interventions have been suggested in order to protect this unique habitat. VL - 6 IS - 1-1 ER -
Email: