Courage Dutiro
Zimbabwe Community Option for Protection and Empowerment (ZICOPE) recently said they are targeting to clear alien species in Zero Farm area in Masvingo rural as communities continue losing hectares of land to the invasive lantana camara.
ZICOPE Programmes Coordinator Raviro Mutonga said communities have to know the short and long term effects of lantana camara on their environment.
“Communities need to know the effects of lantana camara and as an organization we are targeting to clear the weed in Masvingo rural. At a site near Nemamwa turn off on the left side towards Great Zimbabwe hotel, we are targeting one km by 40 meters. So far nearly one and half hectares have been cleared. We are going to plant trees on that land during this month to commemorate Africa Environmental Day,” said Mutonga.
She also said that it is important to embark on such programmes of clearing camara as it helps the community to understand the importance of land degradation.
“It is important to embark on such programmes because communities have to understand the importance of conserving trees, soil and grass. Lantana Camara is a very deadly weed and it spreads so fast and in any area where it survives, it kills grass.
“As an organization we are into catchment rehabilitation of Mutirikwi and Tugwi-Mkosi. In that endeavor, we realize Lantana Camara is an enemy destroying the natural vegetation, again in our programme for environmental awareness, rehabilitation and management, we raise awareness in root causes of environmental degradation,” she said.
Mutonga further said, villagers in Zero farm are appreciating the programme and have urged people to take action against Lantana Camara.
“Villagers are very much interested and are doing the work without any incentive. They have understood the dangers of degradation, now they are making a difference in how they use and manage natural resources.
“Let us destroy Lantana Camara before it destroys our inheritance, the weed is very dangerous to both the livestock, human and grass. Let us guard jealously our surroundings and uproot the weed,” said Mutonga.
In Zimbabwe, climate change and invasive alien plant species are among the top threats to the ecosystem and Masvingo province has not been spared either.
Invasive alien species are plants that are introduced in an environment where they are not normally found.
Statistics released by Environmental Management Agency (EMA) Masvingo province shows that an estimate of 2473.17 ha of land has been affected by lantana camara in the province.
The dominance of lantana camara affects ecosystems’ equilibrium which is important in the fight against climate change effects.
