Gullying Within Wetlands in Zimbabwe

Legislation in Zimbabwe restricts use of dambos, seasonally waterlogged botomlands characteristic of the central watershed region, because of fears of erosion and drying out of these wetlands. Erosion, especially gullying, is widespread today within dambos in peasant farmlands but not in areas of commercial farming, although most or this wetland type occurs in the latter areas. This historical context of the dambo gully problem is outlined in the context of the land use and conservation history of the commercial and peasant farming system. The incidence of erosion at national and local scales is described and evaluated in relation to selected human and physical factors. At a national level, population density is a key influence on erosion, whereas at a local level the incidence of livestock grazing is an imponant ractor influencing gully erosion in dambos. Physical factors are found to have limited significance in explaining the spatial patterns of erosion at national and local scales.