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Melissa Chekwa
As a means of survival and adapting to the electricity woes in the country, some Zimbabweans have sought out alternative forms of energy with the most accessible being firewood.
This has led to environmental degradation in part due to the continued cutting down of trees near residential areas.
The constant power cuts and the exorbitant prices of alternative energies that can’t be afforded by most citizens are forcing the lot to turn to cutting down trees for firewood.
Women interviewed said it’s hard having to wait to be switched on when their families are waiting for them to put a meal on the table on time, every time. So they turn to fire.
“It’s even much worse because we can’t even afford to buy enough electricity for the running of the whole household. So even if power comes back, it’s hard using a stove because the money needed for electricity is too much these days. Hence we opt for fire,” said one Nobubele Khumalo from Cowdray Park.
Deforestation is also caused by people that clear land for agricultural use, building structures and harvesting timber among other factors.
According to the Forest Act, only the Forestry Commission has management over trees and any other vegetation in the open forests.
Pachamama Alliance says deforestation has drastic effects like climate change, soil erosion, fewer crops, and flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, desertification among other effects.
Trees help control the level of water in the atmosphere by helping to regulate the water cycle, with fewer trees there is less water in the air returned to the soil. This in turn makes the soil dry and incapable of growing crops.
As we are in the National Tree Planting Day month set aside to fight deforestation, Tree Ambassador Never Bonde said he has supplied the Bulawayo City Council with 4 884 trees which will be distributed to all the 28 wards of the city.
“However, I would encourage people for the coming tree planting day to prepare the land and plant their trees in January. The rains are not consistent at the moment and it would be useless and wasteful to plant the trees on dry land,” he said.
The Forestry Commission states that people should: “Replace all trees that you cut down (There are instances when it’s necessary to cut down a tree for example when the trees pose a danger to human life or infrastructure). Just remember — Cut one, Plant many.”
Ambassador Bonde said they are running with the theme, “Zimbabwe at 40” and each in Zimbabwe institution is expected and encouraged to plant at least 40 trees.
Meanwhile, the planting season often sees the Forestry Commission announcing the indigenous tree of the year to the farmers at the beginning of the year so that they plant and present them on the tree planting day. A tree is chosen for its special properties which can be its medicinal features, its rarity and possibility of being extinct.
Last year the tree of the year was the jackal-berry (Musuma/ Umdlauzo) tree. This year’s tree of the year is the Granite garcinia (Mutunduru) a distinctive tree that bears greenish and yellow flowers with edible fruits.
Online Reporter