dyton mupawaenda
Rejoice Makoni-Herald Correspondent
Communities have been urged to conserve forests and harness non-timber forest products to mitigate impacts of climate change and adapt solutions through sustainable harvesting of these non-timber products that do not require cutting down trees, Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife Mangaliso Ndlovu said yesterday.
The non-timber products include fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants and a range of bark and fibres.
In a speech read on his behalf by Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife director for environment and natural resources Edward Samuriwo during a convention on non-timber forest products held in Harare yesterday, Minister Ndlovu said the convention came at the right time.
“The importance of non-timber forest products is even more defined now as our communities are faced with shocks and stressors brought about by climate change and other drivers,” said Minister Ndlovu. “Climate change impacts have affected agricultural production in many rural areas and there is a great need to explore and provide communities with alternative livelihood options drawn from forests and forest resources, that provide both mitigatory and adaptive solutions to climate change impacts.
“This is the time to properly position non-timber forest products to play this crucial role. There has also been considerable expansion in the uses of various non-timber forest products.
“Non-timber forest products of economic importance in Zimbabwe now include nuts which are produced from kernels of trees like marula, baobab, and manketti. The oils, mainly used in the cosmetic industry, show that there is great potential in the development and commercialisation of non-timber forest products and this can be a stepping stone towards forest conservation, economic empowerment of vulnerable communities, and support a broader socio-economic development of the country at large.”
Minister Ndlovu said there was need for value addition.
“Value addition at source is also required and this demands that producers embark on simple processing and packaging technologies to increase efficiency and add value to the products. In promoting the non-timber forest products industry, we also need to ensure that we are achieving an ecological balance,” he said.
Swedish Embassy head of development and deputy head of mission Dr Berthollet Kaboru said the programme seeks to enable communities to make meaningful incomes out of their rich natural base and act as the landscape’s custodians.
“The theme of today: Promoting transformative resilience through non-timber forest products is very relevant to Sweden’s current development strategy for Zimbabwe. The strategy is aiming to strengthen conditions for sustainable management of natural resources including biodiversity, to promote trade, job creation and inclusive economic development,” he said.
Online Reporter