**Acknowledgements**

Furthermore, artificial salt licks attract more wildlife for photographic safaris, resulting in more tourists visiting the area at the detriment of the wetland. In this case, safari operators, by applying salt, are more concerned with the economic gains associated with the influx of game viewers at the expense of the vlei's ecological condition which is the basis for the existence of these economic activities. The tourists have also been contributing to soil erosion as evidenced by erosional features such as rills and gullies developing along footpaths around watering points in the lower section of the wetland. Therefore, instead of simultaneously harmonising environmental and economic considerations to achieve wise use of the wetland, these two objectives are treated as discrete entities by safari operators, a situation with potential to cause vlei degradation and loss and ultimately loss of business in the long run for the safari operators. Unplanned and poorly designed drive ways have potential to worsen the rate of erosion despite the reduction in rainfall amounts received in the area. This is more evident where some roads from the catchment surrounding the vlei were established following fairly steep gradients, a situation likely to accelerate the rate of soil erosion due to the effect of concentrated flow and possibly increased sediment yield. This may suggest that vehicle movements if not well planned and monitored have great potential to cause soil erosion in the wetland

182 Wetlands Management - Assessing Risk and Sustainable Solutions

Although the gullies noted in this study are relatively small (a depth of 24 cm) when compared with those reported in other studies [2] which exceed 50 cm in depth, they are still of major concern. This implies that intervention strategies to mitigate soil erosion should be considered so that the vlei does not develop big gullies as those noted by Whitlow in the communal areas of Zimbabwe. These gullies are a growing threat to the socio-economic benefits linked to wetland utilisation. This is grounded on the findings of this study which illustrated that there is a temporal increase in the spatial extent of bare areas in the lower section of the wetland and overall reduction in the wetland size. In contrast, the upper section of the wetland without watering points and salt licks is increasing in size (**Table 1**). This suggests that if photographic safari activities, watering points and salt licks, in particular, are not well

The study assessed wetland land cover changes associated with high wildlife densities and tourism activities, using Dete vlei in Hwange district as a case study. Results show that bare conditions have been increasing around watering points and salt licks resulting in the reduction in wetland conditions of the lower section. In contrast, the upper section remains without bare cover and the wetland conditions are expanding. Based on these findings, we conclude that photographic safari activities such as wild animals grazing and trampling around artificial salt licks and watering points, vehicle movements and tourists paths are contributing to vegetation loss and erosional features. Therefore, there is need for deliberate policy and strategy to control wetland degradation in protected used for photographic safaris. The strategy should involve all stakeholders (private players and public institutions) in order to achieve

regulated, degradation of the wetland is likely to be more pronounced.

sustainable wetland-based photographic safari business.

and tourist areas.

**5. Conclusions**

We would like to thank Mr. Tendai Serima, Forester—Sikumi Forest for assisting in field data collection and the Forest Protection Unit guards for providing security during the field survey. We would also like to thank the Research Board, Midlands State University, for funding the fieldwork.
