Elephant browsing impacts in a Zambezian Baikiaea woodland with a high density of pumped waterholes

Foraging by African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) and other herbivores tends to result in a piosphere effect around water sources, with increasing pressure on vegetation as distance to water decreases. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of pumped waterholes on woody vegetation in the southern portion of Zimbabwe’s Zambezi National Park, a Baikiaea woodland ecosystem characterised by high elephant densities. The recent rehabilitation and addition of pumped waterholes has resulted in a dense waterhole network in the park, prompting concerns around potential negative impacts on vegetation. Sampling plots were located at different distances from four pumped waterholes in Baikiaea plurijuga and Terminalia sericea woodlands. Elephant browsing levels and vegetation structure were assessed across three plant height classes (0.2