• For the proper management of protected forests there is a need for the maintenance and regular updating of databases related to the various resources found in protected forests, e.g. timber, wildlife, non-timber products, domestic livestock, forest residents and of research activities taking place in the forests.
• It is important to match resource use needs as a process of continuous resource assessment in order to achieve resource use and management.
• Traditionally, foresters in tropical dry forests have often used silvicultural systems that were not specifically developed for these types of forest. It would be beneficial to base silvicultural treatments of such forests as the KS forest on practices ordinarily carried out by users and appropriate for the individual species. For example, most indigenous tree species are capable of coppicing and this characteristic needs to be understood better for wider application as a silvicultural tool. The protected forests are degrading and wasting because the necessary conditions for natural regeneration of the desired species are not understood. In most cases there are assumptions that the necessary conditions are similar for all species – which are wrong assumptions.
• Monitoring disturbances and recovery processes and taking necessary practical remedial measures are vital for the stability and sustainability of individual species. These aspects are only remotely considered in protected indigenous forests.
• The forest tenant system could be revisited given the available knowledge of joint forest management processes, conflict management, resource tenure and access.
• Participatory forestry initiatives need to be up-scaled to other forest reserves based on lessons learnt from pilot projects.
• The KS teak forests are not only found in Zimbabwe but also in Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. There should be a transfrontier management approach to this unique resource that potentially has immense social, economic and ecological importance in these countries.
