Reuben Lembani

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a key component of forest productivity and soil organic carbon stock. However, little is known about SOM and carbon variability in miombo woodlands, which is an important ecosystem in sub-Sahara African forests and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) initiatives. In this study, nine factors were measured and used to analyze the variability of SOM in miombo woodland sites with different tree structures in Luanshya, Zambia. The findings showed variability of SOM stocks at different soils decreasing by 14% from 0–10 cm depth to 10–20 cm depth and increasing by 13% from 10–20 cm depth to 20–30 cm depth. The mean soil organic carbon stock (SOCs) also varied between miombo woodland sites of different successional stages or management practices (ρ < 0.05), notably that the areas affected by recent selective tree clearance and secondary succession (partially disturbed miombo woodlands, secondary miombo woodlands, and regenerating miombo woodlands) had higher SOCs mean values per layer (0–10 cm: +6%; 10–20 cm: +4%; 20–30 cm: +4%) than the undisturbed miombo woodlands (0–10 cm: −42%; 10–20 cm: 4%; 20–30 cm: −39%). Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that the most important factors that regulate SOM and carbon stock were woodland thinning by clearance and silt content within soils. The novelty of this study is particularly relevant for monitoring and evaluating the REDD+ reforestation and management strategies in Miombo ecosystem.

This study investigated the preparedness and experience of students for the fast-paced convergence of ICT and higher education. Overall, 366 distance students with a history of self-directed learning through correspondence courses were profiled using structured text-based online interviews. Twelve students’ attributes on ICT material possession and competencies and experience of Open Distance and Open Learning (ODeL) were collected and analysed. The findings show that the majority of students (72%) who had prior knowledge about the basic concepts of ODeL modalities indicated satisfaction with the e-learning environment while the learning mode is challenging for traditional students (28%). Statistically significant positive correlations (ρ = 0.00) were observed between ICT competencies or preparedness: the level of prior academic qualifications (HAQ: r² = 0.35); key challenge faced (KC: r² = 0.26); and the convenience of ODeL (C.ODeL: r² = 0.18). To ensure that students are not left behind with the proliferation of ICT in distance education, principal component analysis revealed that having prior knowledge about the ODeL modalities is an important attribute that contributes to students’ preparedness for the e-learning environment, thus bridging the variance between the expected expectations and the actual expectations.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a key component of forest productivity and soil organic carbon stock. However, little is known about SOM and C variability in miombo woodlands which is a significant ecosystem in sub-Sahara African forests and vital for REDD+ strategies. In this study, nine edaphic factors were measured and used to analyse the variability of SOM in miombo woodland sites with different tree structures in Luanshya, Zambia. The findings showed a large variability of SOM stocks at different soil depths: 36.67 to 113.89 Mg ha-1 at 0–10 cm depth, 28.67 to 79.56 Mg ha-1 at 10–20 cm depth, and 31.89 to 98.56 Mg ha-1 at 20–30 cm depth. These SOM values at different depths also varied between miombo woodland sites of different successional stages, notably that areas affected by recent tree clearance had higher than average SOM content per layer (0–10 cm: +5.57%; 10–20 cm: +4.20%; 20–30 cm: +4.30%). Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that the most significant environmental factors influencing SOM were woodland thinning by clearance, and silt content within soils. This study highlights that CCA can be used to show the relative importance of different forest successional stages as a function of management practices, as well as edaphic factors, in determining miombo soil SOM content. The results of this study are particularly relevant for addressing current REDD+ reforestation and management strategies that are aimed at increasing carbon stocks in the tropical forests of sub-Saharan Africa.

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There is a need for accurate reporting of the second-growth forest in accounting for the contribution of secondary forests to achieving global carbon sequestration strategies. This study develops a model relating aboveground live biomass (AGLB) to Landsat reflectance measurements, and this method is used on multi spatial-temporal Landsat data (1998, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2016) to assess changes in Miombo woodlands in Zambia. Results showed that the enhanced vegetation index was a better predictor of AGLB (r² = 0.96; RMSE = 0.24 t ha⁻¹) than the other assessed vegetation indices. Forest carbon stocks increased by an average rate of 3.65 ± standard error (SE): 0.56 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ from 1998 to 2001, but a continual decline was evident for the periods 2001–2004 (−0.60 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), 2004–2011 (−0.88 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and 2011–2016 (−2.03 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The study provides an empirical model for evaluating carbon stock changes.

Access to education is a significant determinant in future success, not only for a country but equally for individuals. Higher Education (HE) thus is an integral part of the Sustainable Development Goals and vital in supporting African development. Despite this, there is often a lack of access to HE in many parts of Africa, distance education can subsequently play an important role in increasing access to education by providing materials online. Even though institutions such as the University of South Africa, a provider of Open Distance Learning (ODL), can open access to HE for many marginalised and peripheral communities, we cannot separate access to ODL education from the debate of access to ICTs. Students in urban areas have a significantly different educational experience to students with poor ICT access in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. This paper explores the nature of access to ICT and how this affects students’ ability to access HE.

Miombo woodlands are the most extensive natural forest type in subtropical Africa, supporting the livelihood of over 100 million urban and rural settlers. These forests continue to experience extensive deforestation and land degradation due to land use land cover (LULC) changes. The aim of this study is to use remotely sensed images from the Landsat archive to provide the baseline for the spatial extent of Miombo woodlands in Luanshya district of the Copperbelt Province, Zambia. It also assesses the implications of spatial-temporal changes for the conservation of these woodlands. A hybrid classification method involving ISODATA and Support Vector Machine classifiers was used to generate LULC maps for 1986, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2016, with an overall accuracy of 82.0%–99.6% and kappa coefficient of 0.80–0.99. Unlike previous studies that have mainly focused on comparison between two or three time periods, a longitudinal analysis over the 20-year periods of this study shows that there are complex net a...