Forest Information System

Overview of Forest Resources in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is host to different woodland types, consisting of Acacia, Miombo, Combretum/Terminalia, Mopane, and Teak.
However, forests are under threat from expanding demand for settlements and agricultural land. Despite this, forests remain essential as carbon sinks, for ecological well-being, and for economic development.

Land cover statistics are critical for policy formulation and decision-making regarding sustainable resource management.
Accurate, timely data is therefore essential.

Deforestation refers to the conversion of forest to other land uses such as agriculture or infrastructure.
Unlike net forest area change—which accounts for both gains and losses—deforestation only measures permanent conversion (FAO, 2020).

Key Findings

In 2021, Zimbabwe adopted and validated a national definition of forest, which includes woodland and bushland areas.
As of 2020, forests cover approximately 61.04% (23,938,411.06 hectares) of the country.
Woodland: Minimum of 0.3 ha, with trees ≥5m in height and ≥10% canopy cover.
Bushland: Minimum of 0.3 ha, with trees <5m in height and ≥10% canopy cover.
National Forest Definition: ≥0.3 ha area with trees over 3m in height and ≥10% canopy cover.
Annual deforestation rate (1992–2017): Estimated at 262,348.98 hectares per year.

Drivers of Deforestation and Degradation

A national study on deforestation drivers was conducted under the STZ-NDC project (Zimbabwe’s Nationally Determined Contributions), led by the Climate Change Management Department and supported by UNDP and the Russian Trust Fund.

Research included satellite image analysis and stakeholder consultations. Hotspots of deforestation were identified in all provinces, particularly in rural, resettlement, and peri-urban areas.

Direct drivers:

Firewood harvesting
Settlements
Agriculture
Wildfires
Tobacco curing
Charcoal production
Brick making
Logging
Overstocking
Construction and mining

Indirect drivers:

Socioeconomic factors
Legal and tenure issues
Environmental and climate-related issues
Political drivers

Settlement expansion, agriculture, mining, and tobacco curing remain the most significant and difficult-to-address drivers, with mining and agriculture likely to continue due to their economic importance.

Permanent Sample Plots (PSPs)

PSPs are long-term research sites that provide valuable growth-and-yield data for sustainable forest management. Established between 1994 and 1997 in gazetted forests like Gwaai, Ngamo, Fuller, Kazuma, Ungwe, Mudzongwe, and Gwampa, they are remeasured every 5 years. The most recent data collection was in 2021.

In 2021, new PSPs were established in Save Valley Conservancy, Mafungabutsi Forest, and Ruzawi (Marondera). These sites help monitor forest conditions and guide forest resource planning.

Zimbabwe Biomass Map

The Mapping and Inventory Unit collaborated with the University of Edinburgh to develop a national biomass map using satellite data. This map helps estimate vegetation biomass across Zimbabwe.

2020 Land Cover Map

Developed using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, the 2020 land cover map was interpreted and processed using Google Earth Engine’s cloud computing platform.

Validation Exercise

Field validation was conducted between November and December 2021, using the Open Data Kit (ODK) for data collection. This covered the entire country.

To enhance map accuracy, over 50,000 Collect Earth sample points were analyzed and used in validation.