Miombo woodlands near human settlements are under significant pressures from human activities, with negative consequences on their structure and composition. As studies are limited, we assessed the structure and species composition of a portion of miombo woodland along an increasing disturbance gradient from a national park, through a buffer zone to communal lands in northeast Zimbabwe. Five concentric plots of 2 and 11 m radii were established in each area to record woody species composition, diameter, height, basal area, density and volume as well as evidence of disturbance. Effects of site, growth stage and their interaction on vegetation diversity and structural parameters were tested using a general linear model (GLM). Principal component analysis (PCA) tested the association between species and site and ANOVA the differences in the level of disturbance across strata. Species diversity did not differ between sites except for evenness, which increased with disturbance. Evenness and richness were greater in seedlings and saplings than mature trees across sites, respectively. Sapling and mature tree diameters differed significantly between sites. Volume and density of mature trees declined with increasing disturbance while seedling densities peaked at intermediate disturbance levels (buffer zone). Tree harvesting, was more evident in the buffer zone and in the communal area relative to the national park. In contrast, fire frequency was greater in the national park and in the buffer zone relative to the communal area. The results of this study identify a true miombo woodland dominated by Brachystegia boehmii with a stable population, as illustrated by an inverse-J shape in diameter class distribution on all sites, and that these woodlands are generally resilient to disturbances, maintaining similar species composition and structure at various levels of disturbance. However, continued monitoring of disturbance levels and miombo woodland response is recommended to ensure sustainable utilisation of these resources.

人类住区附近的 Miombo 林地受到人类活动的巨大压力，对其结构和组成产生负面影响。由于研究有限，我们评估了部分 miombo 林地的结构和物种组成，沿着从国家公园到缓冲区到津巴布韦东北部公共土地的不断增加的干扰梯度。在每个区域建立了五个半径为 2 和 11 m 的同心地块，以记录木本物种的组成、直径、高度、基面积、密度和体积以及干扰的证据。使用一般线性模型 (GLM) 测试地点、生长阶段及其相互作用对植被多样性和结构参数的影响。主成分分析 (PCA) 测试了物种和地点之间的关联以及 ANOVA 跨地层干扰水平的差异。除了均匀度外，物种多样性在站点之间没有差异，随着干扰而增加。幼苗和树苗的均匀度和丰富度分别高于不同地点的成熟树木。不同地点的树苗和成熟树直径差异很大。成熟树木的体积和密度随着干扰的增加而下降，而幼苗密度在中等干扰水平（缓冲区）达到峰值。树木砍伐在缓冲区和相对于国家公园的公共区域更为明显。相比之下，与公共区域相比，国家公园和缓冲区的火灾频率更高。Brachystegia boehmii种群稳定，如所有地点的直径等级分布呈倒 J 形所示，并且这些林地通常对干扰具有弹性，在各种干扰水平下保持相似的物种组成和结构。但是，建议继续监测干扰水平和 miombo 林地响应，以确保这些资源的可持续利用。