Chronicle Editor
Fortunes Matutu
Traditionally, mopane worms (amacimbi/madora) are harvested for subsistence by rural communities but over the past decade they have increasingly become a commercial commodity. For communities in Matabeleland South Province particularly, mopane worms have become a reliable source of livelihood and nutrition.
Mopane worms are processed and sold to local urban markets but the market has also extended to South Africa, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Europe. The contribution of mopane worms to people’s livelihoods has become so significant that outbreaks of the worms create seasonal employment for locals.
Mopane worm traders and harvesters put up tents and shacks in the forest which become their temporary homes while they are collecting mopane worms. They sell some of their mopane worms from the camp while others take them back to their home towns to sell as well.
Mopane worms have also become a source of barter trade for these camp occupants where they give out the mopane worms in exchange for clothes and foodstuffs among other things. It is estimated that in a good season, over 500 tonnes of mopane worms are collected throughout the province with an estimated value of up to US$1 000 000.
Over the past 20 years the province has seen a fluctuating drop in the production of mopane worms with some years recording maximum production while others have recorded low production.
A number of factors have caused a drop in the production of mopane worms and these include premature harvesting, deforestation, extreme weather conditions and predators. These factors have become an environmental issue of concern and have posed a threat to livelihoods.
Mopane worm outbreaks are seasonal, during the early months of the rainy season (December) and a second harvest occurs between April and May. Mopane worms are the larval stage in the life cycle emperor moth. As the larva grows it molts four times in its five larval stages and that is when the mopane worm is desirable for harvesting. These are the mopane worms we see crawling on the ground or down the trees.
Their readiness for harvesting is also evident through the lack of fruss in the gut and sharp spikes. A matured mopane worm is big, fully round and black with red or yellow stripes. People are often impatient and harvest the mopane worms while they are still in the trees, brown to pale black in color or while they haven’t fully matured.
Premature harvesting has significantly contributed towards the decline in the availability of mopane worms.
Experiences have also shown that people cut down trees and conduct their harvest prematurely which has put the natural production of mopane worms under threat. Mopane worms mainly feed on mopane tree leaves. In the absence of mopane trees, the occurrence of the high value caterpillar will decline.
Massive deforestation of the mopane woodlands has been registered in the communities mainly because the mopane tree also has many desirable properties which makes it subject to over exploitation.
The wood has high calorific value which makes it one of the preferred firewood species. Its durability also makes it suitable for construction timber in rural communities where it is used for pole and dagga houses as well as fencing poles.
This diverse need for this tree species highlights the importance of its sustainable utilisation.
Although regulatory measures are in place in some communities of Matabeleland South, the major challenge they face is the rapid increase of mopane worm harvesters who come from other parts of the country and disregard local authority by-laws, sustainable harvesting practices and culture; as a result, mopane worm occurrence has become unpredictable.
With climate change and the increase of pressure on forest resources, the benefits which communities derive from sale of mopane worms cannot be sustained if environmental management practices to regulate poor harvesting methods are not enforced and also adhered to at all levels of the value chain.
Extreme weather conditions also affect the cycle of mopane worm production. When it is extremely hot, eggs and larva which has just been hatched are destroyed. In cases where it is extremely hot and there are low rains, trees delay producing leaves and when eggs hatch there is limited food and shelter for the mopane worms which shelter under the leaves and feed on the leaves.
Too much rain also affects the production of mopane worms as excess water can cause diseases or infections while those which are still small and have not fully matured can be washed off from the tree leaves onto the ground thereby exposing them to predators.
Predators which affect the production of mopane worms include birds, snakes and baboons. Mopane worms are also susceptible to bacteria and viruses which may lead to high mortality.
In order to ensure sustainable harvesting of mopane worms, the following are important:
-Harvest mature worms only — those which are about to pupate
-Do not harvest all mopane worms, 10 percent of the worms should be left per tree for every harvest
-Processing should be done properly to ensure efficient production of harvested mopane worms and improved nutrition
-Sun dry them on clean surfaces and protect from the rains and dust
-Frass should be disposed of in a healthy way.
-Do not use bottles as rollers to remove guts (frass). Though quick, it is too hard and squeezes almost everything from the gut, including the desired yellow material.
-Use only dead branches and twigs to cure the mopane worms or alternatively use solar driers
-Do not cut down or damage trees during harvest.
-Do not cause veld fires
-Follow the cultural norms of the area where you are collecting the mopane worms.
Communities have different traditional and cultural beliefs that need to be respected in order for nature to continue providing for them.
-Fortunes Matutu is a forester with the Forestry Commission and has a special interest in social forestry.
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