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Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Correspondent
GOVERNMENT is prioritising land restoration to reverse the effects of land degradation, the Minister of Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Nokuthula Matsikenyere has said.
This has seen the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) stepping up the implementation of sustainable land management programmes, with the Mapembe Nature Reserve in Mutare District being one of the projects.
In a speech read on her behalf by Secretary for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Edgars Seenza during joint commemorations for the Africa Environment and Wangari Maathai Days last week, Minister Matsikenyere said since the country’s economy heavily relies on agriculture and mining, land degradation has the potential to affect the economy.
To date, at least 36,5 percent of the country’s land has been affected by land degradation.
She said Zimbabwe is losing approximately 17, 8 million tonnes of soil nutrients each year due to land degradation.
“This then requires every Zimbabwean to work together to reduce land degradation because land is a critical resource which should be sustainably managed,” said Minister Matsikenyere.
She stated that land management will enable the country to recover the degraded land.
“Land management priorities at national level include sustainable land management, rehabilitation of mining areas, restoration of wetland ecosystems and the reduction of veld fires and their impacts and all these have already been initiated in the province and across the nation at large.
“As you are all aware, Zimbabwe is signatory to the United Nations Convention which seeks to combat desertification, land degradation and the impact of drought, particularly in dry land area.
“The land restoration thrust therefore becomes key,” she said.
Minister Matsikenyere said stakeholder participation is vital in the realisation of a well-managed environment as evidenced by the major strides that have been made in mobilising resources to support the implementation of the Mapembe Nature Reserve project.
The commemorations were held under the theme ‘Accelerating Land Recovery Efforts through Inclusive Ecosystem Restoration.’
EMA Manicaland provincial manager, Mr Kingston Chitotombe said the theme aligns with the efforts being undertaken by EMA to combat desertification and drought as well as building back better through land restoration.
He said the expected result is to sensitise the Mapembe community on the challenges of land degradation and the diverse activities that can be taken to combat it, while letting them benefit from the reserve.
“Mapembe Nature Reserve is a protected area in terms of the Natural Resources Act.
“The objective of this protection was generally to protect ecosystems from degradation.
“Mapembe area is a tobacco farming area and as you approach it you will notice that there is a higher concentration of trees within it.
“That is all coming out of the protection that has been initiated.
“As EMA, we have moved from issues of preservation to issues of conservation. Conservation is more of sustainable use of natural resources, so we are trying to inculcate that within the communities of Mapembe.
“Communities are required to benefit from their resources and protect the environment,” said Mr Chitotombe.
He said veld fires are also wreaking havoc in the country by destroying land cover, thereby destroying the ecosystem and exposing the land to soil erosion.
“Restoring degraded land brings economic resilience, creates jobs, raises incomes and increases food security through bee keeping and fish farming.
“Furthermore, it contributes towards the restoration of biodiversity,” he said.
Online Reporter