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GIS and natural resource management : prospect and problems Kanyati Communal Lands, Zimbabwe 
Figure 5. Land cover/use in 1992, proposed land cover/use (land use plan of 1992) and actual land use in 1999, Makande village, Kanyati Communal Lands A well-structured database makes it possible to provide answers to many questions with regard to land resources and their use and, thereby, is useful tool for decision making with regard to the use of natural resources. Such a tool can increase the efficiency of institutions responsible for land use planning and natural resource management. However, reviewing the development of the GIS applications in this real-world situation and evaluating the response of the local institutions, particularly the Rural District Council, the reported case suggests that the actual use and success of GIS for natural resource management in developing countries is certainly not self-evident. There may be limitations and/or conditions that are not optimal for the implementation and use of a GIS-based information system. As far as implementation issues are concerned a number of obstacles will have to be overcome. In our case, we experienced that some |