Mapping the spatial distribution and canopy cover of Lantana camara in the Zaka district of Zimbabwe

Alien plant invasions are a major ecological and management problem facing many parts of southern Africa. Invasive plants spread rapidly, negatively impacting native flora and fauna, agriculture and livelihoods. Lantana camara has invaded most parts of the Zaka Dis-trict, a semi-arid communal area in Zimbabwe and the aim of this study was to assess and document the invasion status of the plant in the district. Mapping the occurrence of L. camara provides useful information for planning clearing efforts, modelling the inva-sion patterns and budgeting costs. We report the results of a study conducted in February 2015 where a combination of remote sensing and ground-based data collection was used to record lantana presence. Field assessment was done at 140 sampling sites (across seven land cover types), with sites chosen using a stratified random strategy. At each site the percent canopy cover of lantana was assessed by visual estimation and the data used to map the occurrence of lantana in each land cover type. Cover of lantana was highest in drainage lines (21.5%) and lowest in agricultural fields on grey and red soils (12%). Analysis of variance showed that differences in lantana cover amongst land cover types were not statistically significant, indicating that lantana is a generalist invader capable of thriving in various habitats within its range. Notwithstanding, habitat-specific invasion patterns were apparent and, as such, habitat targeted control effort s are advisable to achieve best re-sults. We recommend cutting, stumping and onsite burning of lantana as the management method of choice and the periodic monitoring of the invasive plant in the district.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of African Institute of Mathematical Sciences / Next Einstein Initiative. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )

Automated summary

Alien plant invasions are a major problem in southern Africa, and this study assesses the invasion status of Lantana camara in a semi-arid area of Zimbabwe. The results show that Lantana camara has a high coverage and is capable of thriving in various habitats. Targeted control efforts and periodic monitoring are recommended.