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GIS and natural resource management : prospect and problems
Kanyati Communal Lands, Zimbabwe
few people lived in the area. Eradication of tsetse in the mid-1980’s caused a great influx of people
from other parts of Zimbabwe. In 1992, about 5,600 persons lived in the area. Their main occupation
is crop growing, mainly maize and cotton, and animal husbandry (mainly cattle). The main source of
fuel is firewood obtained from the remaining woodlands. In villages close to wildlife areas, damage of
crops by wildlife is common.
3. Objectives and approach
In this paper, potentials and limitations of introducing GIS are explored for the Kanyati Communal
Lands. The paper is based on joint work of staff of the Department of Geography and Environmental
Science, University of Zimbabwe, and ITC in The Netherlands. The objectives of the study are:
- To develop a GIS-based information system for the study area and demonstrate applications of its
use for the analysis of various natural resource management problems
- To assess potentials and limitations to operationalize the information system in the local planning
procedures of the Nyaminyami Rural District Council (NRDC), the institution responsible for the
management of natural resources in the Kanyati area
The study approach included the following steps:
- Identification and structuring of problems by representatives of local communities.
- Development of a digital spatial database for the area.
- Organization of a one-week GIS training course for staff of the NRDC at the University of
Zimbabwe to familiarize them with GIS and its applications.
- Development of sample applications of the information system to demonstrate its potentials to
assess and find solutions for natural resource related problems identified by the local communities.
- Further training of staff of the NRDC and affiliated local agencies after installation of hardware,
software and the database at the District’s headquarters
Local problems were identified during a one-day “problem analysis and structuring” workshop in
Kanyati in which one ward councillor, all VIDCO chairmen and some resident staff of specialized
agencies participated. Table 1 shows the main output of the workshop. The table indicates that natural
resource related problems (water, crops/livestock/food and wildlife) accounted for about 60% of the
perceived problems.
Table 1. Ranking of problems identified during workshop in Kanyati.
Problems
Water (lack of wells, water for dip tanks and irrigation, dams, boreholes)
Roads/transport/communication problems
Crops/livestock/food related problems (e.g. lack of cropland,
Food security, draught animals, soil erosion)
Wildlife incidents
Education
Health
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1st
5
6
3
4
2
1
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2nd
4
4
4
3
2
0
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3
rd
8
7
4
1
1
1
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Sum
17
17
11
8
5
2
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% of total
problems
29
28
19
13
8
3
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4. The GIS database
For the ten villages of the Kanyati Communal Lands, natural resource maps and reports (ARDA,
1992) covering themes like soils, vegetation, land use, land capability, proposed land use, location of
boreholes and settlements, population characteristics, village and ward boundaries and village-based
land use plans are available at a scale of 1:12,500. Until now, little use was made of these maps and
reports. In addition, information is available on contours, drainage and infrastructure from 1:50,000
topographic maps. Data on wildlife and crop damage exist in different government departments and
WWF. Rainfall data is available for several rainfall stations in the study area and its neighbourhood.
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