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AFRICA University intends to partner with local mining companies in conducting research on the subsequent effects on biodiversity and ecosystem after land rehabilitation. Former AU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Fanuel Tagwira said this during a tour by AU Natural Resources Management third-year students of rehabilitated land at the DTZ-Ozgeo mine in Penhalonga last week Friday.
Professor Tagwira, who now holds a Professorial Chair in the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the institution, teaches some courses in the faculty.
The agricultural expert said it was important for mining companies and the Environmental Management Agency to work in partnership with universities on in-depth research on the ecological effects after land rehabilitation programmes.
He said in developed countries large, companies invested intensely in research.
“There is need for mining companies to partner with universities on research, particularly on the after effects on biodiversity and ecosystems after land rehabilitation. There are after effects usually not quickly noticeable, but detrimental to the ecosystem and biodiversity.
“Continued monitoring and evaluation of rehabilitated land is as a result important. For instance, there are migratory birds that used to come here (Penhalonga farm). Are they still coming? In-depth research can be done on this by academic institutions given that we groom ecologists, wildlife experts and natural resources experts,” said Prof Tagwira.
Professor Tagwira however applauded DTZ-Ozgeo for successfully rehabilitating the mined land and said what he saw was contrary to what was often said about the mining firm.
“Many times we hear lies about your rehabilitation programmes here (DTZ-Ozgeo) but we have really seen with our own eyes. . .The tour was a field study for our Environment and Ecosystem Rehabilitation course. It was quite fruitful as our students practically learned about rehabilitation and saw some of the shortcomings experienced on the ground, which they can never learn in a lecture,” said the Professor.
Environment consultant, Mr Gary Goss, who has been spearheading the rehabilitation programmes at DTZ-Ozgeo in Penhalonga, said mine dumps and ghost towns were common in developing countries due to loopholes in Environmental Impact Assessment policies.
Mr Goss planted indigenous trees, mostly Acacia trees, on the rehabilitated land including Vetiver grass, which helps prevents soil erosion in drylands given that the roots grow deep.
The rehabilitation process of the land involves backfilling mined out areas in reverse sequence to ensure fertile soil is returned on top and then restoring the area to its former state with the rivers flowing in their original path and vegetation restored. Some of the land is now being cultivated on with the produce used in the canteen at the mine for employees.
“All the seeds I have in my nursery are collected locally and every year we plant 10 000 seedlings. I think DTZ-Ozgeo is one of the few local companies that priorities land rehabilitation given that over 80 percent of the mined land has been rehabilitated,” said Mr Goss.
The DTZ-Ozgeo mining production manager, Mr Piyo Chiradza said rehabilitation programmes were very costly gobbling over 35 percent of the annual gross income.
In past years, before the establishment of EMA in 2003, a weak EIA policy led to mine dumps with Kamativi Mine in Matabeleland among the examples where the dumps left the area gullied and barren, after the country’s largest tin mine shutdown operations in 1994.
Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association economic governance officer, Mr Mukasiri Sibanda however said, although the country’s EIA was clear on paper, sound implementation was still lacking.
“We have several mining companies in the country operating freely without sticking to the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), some of the companies are even under Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation which is a shame really. In terms of depth and soundness our EIA is very good but preferential enforcement is the problem,” said Mr Sibanda.
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