Browsing by Author "Pancrace, Placidia"

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    Impact of artisanal and small-scale gold mining on vegetation cover in bukombe-mbogwe forest reserve and surrounding villages, Geita region, Tanzania.
    (Sokoine university of agriculture, 2022) Pancrace, Placidia
    Vegetation cover in Bukombe-Mbogwe Forest Reserve (BMFR) has been impacted negatively for decades due to Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM). The study aimed at examining the impact of artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities on vegetation cover in Bukombe-Mbogwe Forest Reserve and surrounding villages. The study employed cross-section research design with 138 respondents using remote sensing, questionnaire survey, key informant interviews, field observations and focus group discussions. Landsat images of three window periods of 1984, 2002 and 2020 were analysed qualitatively using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and quantitatively using supervised classification of Maximum Likelihood (ML) algorithm techniques. Descriptive and content analysis were conducted for quantitative and qualitative data respectively employing Microsoft excel for results presentation. NDVI median value decreased from 57% with dense vegetation to 34% with shrubs and grasslands indicating decrease in vegetation quality. There was a quantitative decrease in dense vegetation by 20.78% and bare-land by 23.17%; and quantitative increase in sparse vegetation by 37.46% and built-up land by 6.49% from 1984 to 2020. Relative abundance of tree species most used in ASGM decreased led by Pterocarpus chrysothrix (Mkurungu) with relative abundance of 0.3% of which it is in a threat to extinction. Environmental trainings to artisans were inadequately provided by 22% indicating low level of awareness on vegetation cover conservation. Therefore ASGM has negatively impacted vegetation cover in the study area. There is need for increasing protection against human intrusion in BMFR by employing joint forest management and establish an environmental management plan for BMFR.