Chronicle Editor
Fortunes Matutu
FORESTS provide humans with a wide range of economic and social benefits.
They make significant contributions to the economy, including employment, processing, trade and energy.
However, forest degradation and climate change are two of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.
People and nature are threatened by these challenges and we must act right away to develop creative and innovative solutions that can lead to a sustainable bio-economy and prosperity in a healthy environment.
Bio-economy refers to a radical ecological approach to economics combining economic growth and sustainability.
It encompasses the sustainable production and use of renewable resources from forestry, natural environments and their conversion into food, feed, bio-based products and bio-energy (firewood).
The forest sector has the opportunity to take the lead in the sustainable development of the bio-economy.
This year’s International Day of Forests (IDF) Commemorations provided a platform to discuss the contribution of forests to the bio-economy.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests in 2012 to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests.
The commemorations focused on how forest-based innovations, resource efficiency, forest-based products and ecosystem services can contribute to a sustainable lifestyle and accelerate the shift toward more sustainable consumption and production.
Ensuring sustainable development is a necessary precondition for a successful forest-based bio-economy.
There is a need for a realistic understanding of the potential capacity of forest resources to contribute sustainably to developing the economy and livelihoods while preserving the ecosystem’s integrity.
Forests play an important role in the economic development of many countries.
According to the official national accounts figures for Zimbabwe, forests contribute significantly to the economy, accounting for an average of 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) and employing eight percent of the total people in the manufacturing sector.
Furthermore, forests contribute to the economy of Zimbabwe through the provision of goods and services that allow other sectors to thrive.
For example, in agriculture forests provide pastures for livestock, preserve watersheds to support irrigation through the protection of water sources and also provide wood energy for curing tobacco.
Forests are the home of many species of wildlife including mammals, reptiles and birds which attract tourists thus contributing to the tourism industry.
As a versatile material, wood is commonly used for construction of buildings, shelters, boats, railway sleepers as well as furniture and home decor.
It is highly machinable and can be fabricated into all kinds of shapes and sizes to fit practically any construction need.
Raw wood is turned into pulp and processed into paper.
Paper is used in a diverse range of economic sectors, including as packaging material, communication medium and for scores of other purposes as economies develop.
No really satisfactory substitute for paper exists for many of its uses.
The Covid-19 global pandemic has also shown us the importance of forests in the economy.
Forest products are used as part of the health systems’ essential personal protective equipment.
For example, their masks utilise wood pulp and soluble cellulose fibre from trees.
Other products from trees include toilet paper, paper towels, tissues and ethanol for sanitisers.
According to the World Health Organisation, herbal/plant medicines serve the health needs of 80 percent of the world’s population especially in rural areas.
Medicinal plants are considered a rich resource of ingredients that can be used in drug development.
They can be used as a source of healing agents, a raw material for developing drugs.
In Zimbabwe, the umsuzwane plant (zumbami) has been gaining a great deal of attention due to its properties associated with respiratory healing of Covid-19 symptoms.
The plant is also used as an ethnomedicinal cure for fevers and chest related ailments such as sore throats, coughs, bronchitis, sinuses, pneumonia and asthma.
Healthier populations contribute to a stronger local economy and well-managed forests and environments contribute to a healthier population.
Forests offer a range of non-timber forest products (NTFPs).
These are useful substances, materials or commodities obtained from forests beside the wood including fruits, insects, nuts, medicines, leaves, grasses, vegetables and fibres.
People harvest NTFPs for several purposes, consumption, household subsistence, maintenance of cultural traditions, spiritual fulfilment, fodder, indigenous medicine and healing, scientific learning and income.
In 2020, the exports of fruits from Zimbabwe were valued at around US$43,803 million and the mopane worm value chain was estimated at US$ 2 million every year.
Harvesting and sale of NTFPs have the potential of accomplishing goals of sustainable forest conservation, income generation and economic growth.
Their extraction, value addition and marketing offer a better alternative to cutting down trees.
Ecosystem services support life by regulating essential processes such as purification of air and water, pollination of crops, nutrient cycling, decomposition of wastes and generation and renewal of soils.
In any economy, these elements are crucial but they are seldom recognised and are difficult to place monitory value.
For instance, the Mafungautsi Forest in Gokwe was primarily gazetted to provide ecosystem services to manage Kariba Dam’s headwaters on the Zambezi River basin.
Preserving the forest minimises disturbances of the fragile soils that could lead to siltation and contamination of Lake Kariba’s waters.
Zimbabwe’s only source of hydroelectricity is the Kariba Dam.
By managing the Zambezi River basin well, the Kariba power plant can consistently provide hydroelectric power to the nation.
The dam is one major tourist attraction for Zimbabwe as it offers water-based recreational facilities.
The dam is a source of fish, with many people employed in the fishing industry.
All these benefits to the economy would not be possible without forest protection for watersheds and catchments.
Remember the next time when we are sitting on a chair, cooking with firewood, drinking a glass of fresh water or fruit juice, writing on a book, taking medicine, counting your livestock or visiting a magnificent resort that it’s all possible because of the forest.
Sustainable forest management is key to the prosperity and well-being of current and future generations.
Fortunes Matutu is a forester with the Forestry Commission and has a special interest in social forestry.
Online Reporter