Online Reporter
Andrew Mangwarara
THIS week, we focus on the head office of Generation Health in Avondale — a place of rest and peace.
Their office garden offers a sense of hope to the hopeless.
It is a lush greenery resembling a tropical forest, which brings us to our topic for today: the preservation of our forests.
When visiting the Eastern Highlands, you experience evergreen rainforests boasting a magnificent variety of vegetation.
These include the acacia abyssinica (Nyanga flat-top), rauvolfia caffra (quinine tree), phoenix reclinata (wild date palm) and encephalartos manikensis (cycad).
These evergreen forests are home to several vital plant species that are nearly extinct, such as the Warburgia salutaris (a potent medicinal plant), Lobelia stricklandiae and the Zimbabwean cycad.
As epicentres of biodiversity, these forests contribute immensely to water evaporation and the continuous replenishment of the water table. Furthermore, forests provide a sanctuary for countless insect, bird and animal species that would face extinction without them.
By replicating forest habitats within our own gardens, we can help preserve our native vegetation — much of which is endemic to our beloved Zimbabwe.
If you would like to be featured in our green-up campaign, contact us on: [email protected] or [email protected]
Bongani Ndlovu