Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Mutare Bureau
THE Government, through the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and development partners, has rehabilitated 300 hectares of degraded land in Chimanimani District as part of efforts to restore ecosystems, improve agricultural productivity and strengthen communities against the effects of climate change.
The rehabilitation project targeted areas affected by deforestation, soil erosion and unsustainable land-use practices.
Activities included tree planting, gully reclamation, soil and water conservation measures, and the restoration of natural vegetation.
Speaking during a tour of the rehabilitated area in Nenhowe Village, Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu said the initiative was expected to improve biodiversity, protect water sources and enhance livelihoods through the promotion of sustainable land management practices.
Dr Ndlovu hailed local communities for playing a central role in implementing and maintaining the restoration work through community-based conservation programmes.
“Government is on a drive to save our landscapes from degradation and rehabilitate those already degraded so that the land can be used for economic purposes by the populace,” she said.
“The work that has been done to prevent land degradation here is exactly what President Emmerson Mnangagwa is always saying, that ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’.
“The community here has demonstrated that people can work for their own development, even without supervision. As communities, we must come together to save our landscapes for future generations.”
She also rallied communities to rise and fight deforestation as it contributes significantly to land degradation.
“We challenge each village to have a tree-planting programme that is religiously implemented every year to replace destroyed trees,” said Dr Ndlovu.
The project forms part of Government”s broader environmental management and climate resilience strategy, which seeks to reverse land degradation while supporting sustainable economic development.
Restoring degraded landscapes is also expected to contribute to increased agricultural productivity by improving soil fertility and reducing erosion.
Chimanimani Rural District Council chairman and Ward 5 councillor Mr Rueben Mujee said rampant land degradation had heavily affected agricultural activities in the area, with some land no longer suitable for farming.
“Gullies have been an issue for a long time here. Our farming land and irrigation schemes have been badly affected,” he said.
“We engaged the council and the Environmental Management Agency, which brought us partners to help rehabilitate our landscapes. This land belongs to us and future generations, hence the need to take proper care of it.
“We want the programme to spread across the entire district because we still have areas that require attention. Chimanimani, due to its topographical nature, suffers from natural calamities such as cyclones and excessive runoff, which create gullies. Deforestation has also contributed immensely to land degradation and we are working with communities on afforestation programmes.”
Environmental experts have long identified Chimanimani District as one of the country”s environmentally sensitive areas, with sections of the district experiencing severe land degradation due to deforestation, overgrazing and extreme weather events.
Government has urged communities to adopt sustainable farming and natural resource management practices to ensure the long-term success of the rehabilitation programme.
