Structure and composition of woody vegetation around permanent-artificial and ephemeral-natural water points in northern Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe

The main objective of this study was to compare woody vegetation structure and composition along a distance gradient from permanent-artificial and ephemeral-natural water points in northern Gonarezhou National Park (GNP), Zimbabwe. Woody plants were sampled in May 2010 using a stratified systematic design with plots systematically placed at 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 m from four selected water points. A total of 912 woody plants were assessed in 32 sampling plots and 63 woody plant species were recorded. There were no significant differences in mean height, number of stems per plant, density and diversity with distance from water points. Significant differences in basal areas were only recorded at 2000 m. Only one ephemeral-natural water pan showed a decrease in plant density with increase in distance from the water pan. Our results suggest that there has been some slight degradation of woody vegetation around water points in northern GNP