Zambia - Atlas of our Changing Environment

Bush fires cause severe destruction to vegetation Ponyo, 2011

Box 2.3: Vegetation types in Zambia

Closed forests are dominated by trees whose crowns touch or overlap completely preventing the sun from reaching the forest floor. This vegetation type is sub-divided into five categories: dry evergreen, dry deciduous, montane, swamp and riparian forests. Closed forests cover area of about 31 million hectares in Zambia. Inwoodlands (open forests) , the canopy is not continuous and sufficient light reaches the ground to support vigorous grass growth. Miombo, Kalahari, Mopane and Munga tree species are all types of open forest vegetation. The Miombo woodland is the most extensive and economically important vegetation type in Zambia. It is used in urban areas for the supply of timber, poles, firewood and charcoal. It is also the source of many non-wood forest products such as honey,medicines,mushrooms, caterpillars and other edible insects.Miombo woodlands cover an area of about 352 million hectares, about 47 per cent of the country’s total land area. Termitaria are scattered throughout Zambia wherever the soil is not sandy. They occur more frequently on dambos, which are shallow wetlands comprising of grasses, brushes and sedges, and in Munga and Mopane woodlands. They are scarce in dry evergreen forests. Grasslands cannot support trees due to the fact that they are found in places that have a permanently high water table. Types of grasslands include dambos, flood plains, swamps and lakes.

100 Percentage

Mosses

Algae

Ferns

90

Grasses

80

70

Other erbs and crop species

60

50

40

30

Wood plants

20

10

0

Figure 2.9 Inventories of plant species Environmental Council of Zambia, 2008

Zambia Forestry Department, 2009, McCartney et al. , 2010

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Chapter 2 - Zambia’s Changing Environment

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