**1. Introduction**

Wetlands cover 1.8% of Zimbabwe's total surface area [1]. The most common type of wetlands in Zimbabwe are vleis also known as dambos [2], described as seasonally waterlogged valleys

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

or depressions with herbaceous vegetation, mainly grasses and sedges, and devoid of trees [3]. About 60% of wetlands are found in communal and resettlement areas [1], and are predominantly used for cultivation and livestock grazing [4]. Several researches in Zimbabwe have been focusing on communal and resettlement areas to understand the impact of the aforementioned agricultural practices on various wetland ecosystem components such as vegetation, hydrology, geomorphology, soils and water quality [5, 6].

controlled by watering points and salt licks as well as the associated tourism activities on Dete vlei's cover during the dry season when more wildlife is attracted to the area. This study aims to provide baseline information that can be used to manage wetlands mainly used for

Assessing the Drivers of Wetland Changes in Areas Associated with Wildlife-Based Tourism…

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Sikumi forest has several depressions, with Dete and Zingeni vleis forming the main drainage system of the forest. The study was carried out in Dete vlei found in Sikumi forest (27°10′E; 18°45′S), located in Hwange district of Zimbabwe (**Figure 1**). Sikumi forest is a demarcated forest area that occupies about 55,700 ha [18]. Dete vlei occupies about 903.1 ha, that is, approximately 1.6% of the total forest area. The forest shares boundaries with communal

Rainfall in the area is low, variable and unpredictable. The average rainfall for the past 5 years is 500 mm [9]. The rain season normally stretches from October to April. The average minimum

areas, large commercial farms and Hwange National Park (**Figure 1**).

**Figure 1.** Map showing the location of Dete vlei in Sikumi Forest, Hwange district of Zimbabwe.

wildlife-based tourism activities in protected areas.

**2. Material and methods**

**2.1. Study area**

Estimates show that more than 50% of the original wetlands have been lost world over [7]. In Zimbabwe, estimates show that wetlands declined by almost 50% over the past three decades. In the 1980s, wetlands covered 3.6% of the total country area [3] compared to 1.8% in 2015 [1]. Despite previous research on severe wetland degradation in communal, resettlement and urban areas of Zimbabwe [2, 8], there is a dearth of information on how wetlands located in demarcated or state-protected forests (which accounts for part of 40% of wetlands in Zimbabwe) are affected by the existing land uses that are different to those of well-studied communal and resettlement areas, dominated by agriculture. Lack of information on wetlands condition may compromise effective management of these ecosystems in protected forest areas.

In Zimbabwe, demarcated forests are primarily established to manage catchment areas located on fragile Kalahari soils [9]. These forests are managed by a statutory body, the Forest Commission. The major focus of this statutory body is to ensure protection of the forests; hence, there is no deliberate policy to manage wetlands found in the demarcated forests. Wetland ecosystems in protected forests are managed as part of the forest ecosystem, with the primary objective being to protect the forest. However, these wetlands have different human threats to that of forests, a situation that may result in unnoticed wetland degradation and loss. Therefore, there is need to understand the ecological as well as the geomorphological conditions of wetlands in protected areas in light of the presence of potential degrading agents such as high number of tourists and wildlife densities. Some studies have shown that wetland degradation in game reserves is possible, although the rate and causes may vary spatially [10–13].

Dete vlei is primarily used for photographic safaris since it is adjacent to Zimbabwe's largest wildlife sanctuary, Hwange National Park. As a result, different wildlife species graze and drink water in the vlei during the dry season. Wetlands are known to provide forage for herbivores in the African savannah ecosystem over the dry season and during droughts [11, 14]. However, lack of wildlife management within the carrying capacity can lead to high grazing pressure and ultimately wetland degradation [11, 14, 15]. On the other hand, the population of wild herbivores may be threatened by widespread degradation of wetlands [11, 12]; hence need to explore ways of sustainably managing wetlands with different drivers of change.

Meanwhile, salt licks and watering points were established to attract wildlife for game viewing in Dete vlei. The importance of salt licks and watering points as attractants for game viewing has been studied [10, 16]. However, the link between wildlife-based tourism activities and wetland conditions has not been well studied in Zimbabwe regardless of the fact that wildlife pressure is known to have the most damaging outcomes to the world's natural environment, including wetlands [17]. This study, therefore, assesses the potential impact of wild animals controlled by watering points and salt licks as well as the associated tourism activities on Dete vlei's cover during the dry season when more wildlife is attracted to the area. This study aims to provide baseline information that can be used to manage wetlands mainly used for wildlife-based tourism activities in protected areas.
