By Tatiana Mhararira
The Masvingo Forestry Commission recently embarked on a comprehensive blitz to tackle deforestation and promote sustainable forest management in the province..
The initiative was part of a broader effort to protect Zimbabwe’s forests which play a vital role in environmental conservation, tourism and local livelihoods.
Speaking to TellZim News, Masvingo District Extension Officer Tonderai Moyo said they conducted the blitz because of high demand for firewood during winter.
“As Forestry commission we conducted a regulation blitz targeting to reduce issues of deforestation and forest degradation. As we are in winter there is increase in demand for firewood and charcoal so we are moving across the province to enforce the Forest Act (Chapter 19:05) and Communal Land Forest Produce Act (Chapter 19:04) and Statutory Instrument 116 of 2012 that ensures that forests will continue to be productive, averting climate change, ensuring forests continue providing ecosystem goods and services critical for human sustenance.
“We tried to combine the programme with awareness campaigns, teaching people about sustainable forest management practises on ways to keep the forests safe and also the procedures to be taken to get firewood legally,” said Moyo.
Moyo said the blitz was meant to assist people to have an understanding of how important forest resources were and discouraging mismanagement of forests.
“The results of the blitz will be to ensure forest resources are used in a sustainable manner, averting forest degradation and deforestation currently bedeviling our province. Rural community livelihoods depend on forest resources for food and income particularly none timber forest products.
“Rural communities harvest non-timber forest products like fruits, honey, edible insects like mopane worms from the indigenous forest for consumption and income generation. One of the major drives of forest degradation is charcoal production in mopane woodlands, negatively affecting mopane production in Bikita, Chiredzi and Mwenezi, ”said Moyo.
Recently, traditional leaders in Gutu district warned people to desist from engaging in deforestation and land degradation practices, saying stiff penalties will be meted out on those caught as part of efforts to curb such activities in a bid to preserve the environment. Chief Gutu born Lawrence Chigariro raised concerns over the destruction of the environment.
