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Africa Savanna Peer-reviewed

Zimbabwe — Fire is not spatially uniform even inside one enormous savanna protected area

A 2002–2022 remote-sensing analysis of Hwange National Park links variation in fire incidence to land-surface temperature and precipitation and argues against managing a large protected savanna as though it had one fire regime.

Wild Lands Ecological Intelligence Editor
Wild Lands Institute ·

Geography
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Observation period
2002–2022
Evidence
Peer-reviewed study
System
Savanna

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS

Fire is not spatially uniform even inside one enormous savanna protected area. A 2002–2022 remote-sensing analysis of Hwange National Park links variation in fire incidence to land-surface temperature and precipitation and argues against managing a large protected savanna as though it had one fire regime.

WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ

Fire-management prescriptions need to reflect the local pattern of burning. A park-wide average can conceal the places where intervention matters most.

CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY

The analysis describes historical spatial and temporal patterns. It does not establish that a single fire-management prescription will work throughout the park.

SOURCE

Journal of Applied Ecology · Mawere et al. · 2026
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