The case of deforestation in Zimbabwe

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate say Zimbabwe has a deforestation rate of 330,000 trees per year (Moyo, 2016). But what exactly is causing these high rates of deforestation?

Cutting down of trees for agricultural land

According to Oppah Muchinguiri (as cited in Moyo, 2016), Zimbabwe?s environmental minister, 80% of the deforestation rate is due to land clearing for agricultural purposes. As the country?s population keeps expanding, the need to acquire new land to meet the needs of the people are growing. This happens at the expense of the forest in the nation.

Tobacco farmers need for cheap wood

Previously, tobacco farmers would mainly cure their crop using coal, but wood has become the cheapest and readily available fuel for the majority of farmers who have migrated to tobacco (Masau, 2017). Therefore, the growth of these farmers wealth from the sale of the tobacco crops is coming at the expense of the trees and forests in the area. The need for tobacco is coming at the expense of the trees in Zimbabwe.

Pests

Experts say that pests are a growing threat to the trees and forest in Zimbabwe. The ministry of Environment estimates that from September 2015 to the end of May 2016, 43,000 eucalyptus trees succumbed to forest pests alone, in addition to some 24,000 trees of other species (Moyo, 2016).

Climate change

With changing weather conditions across the world droughts have impacted trees in Zimbabwe. Around 57,000 trees perished due to drought linked to a strong El Niño event while another 80,000 were cut down for timber during the same period (Moyo, 2016). Changing temperatures means that more areas are experiencing droughts in Zimbabwe causing problems for both the environment and individuals living in these areas.

Saving trees

When trying to conserve trees, plants and other vegetation, an integrated approach to understanding the aspects of the problem must be applied. Multi-disciplinary teams consisting of agriculturalists, economists, foresters, anthropologists etc. need to investigate the socioeconomic uses of trees in rural and urban areas in countries to understand how the needs of the people can be met while still conserving the natural resources (Muir & Casey, 1989). Identifying the needs of the people will allow for researchers to understand what the constraints are for conserving trees. If alternate ideas can be developed to overcome these constraints, for example providing different fuel instead of wood for cooking for people, then conservation of trees would be increased. Communicating with the local people about the impact of conservation would be extremely beneficial to the conservation of trees, however, if people have no option but to cut down trees for fuel for cooking then nothing will change. Therefore, it is essential that multidisciplinary teams thoroughly investigate and carefully consider the uses and needs of the people in relation to trees.

In Zimbabwe, a research project found out firsthand how important the socioeconomic aspects of a project are. The Zimbabwe Rural Afforestation Project of the 1980s that lasted 4 years did not consider the socioeconomic aspects of the problem and therefore did not fully address the real needs of both rural and urban society (Muir & Casey, 1989). While the project achieved some of its goals it did not significantly address the needs of the farmers in that area and therefore failed to address the broader environmental issues attached to the conservation of trees.

When conserving trees, it is important to highly the need to save indigenous trees that are meant for the environment that they are in and therefore does not create problems in the natural ecosystems like alien species do (Muchapondwa et al., 2009). Trees create a cover for precipitation, reducing soil erosions and provide food, construction materials, and energy. Trees create habitats for animals and small insects and so are important for the protection of lifecycle of animals. Without trees, humans would not be able to breathe because trees take in the carbon dioxide we provide and turn it into oxygen. They are indeed the lifeline of the Earth without which nothing could survive. Therefore, the conservation and afforestation attempts are highly important for the livelihoods of both the environment as well as human beings.

 Reference list

Muir, K., & Casey, J. (1989). Institutional Responsibility for Social Forestry in Africa: Lessons from Zimbabwe. Journal of Social Development in Africa, 4(2), 27-37.

Muchapondwa, E., Biggs, H., Driver, A., Matose, F., Moore, K., Mungatana, E., & Scheepers, K. (2009). Using economic incentives to encourage conservation in bioregions in South Africa. Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) working paper, (120).

Moyo, J. (2016, August 19). Zimbabwe's parched forests fall prey to new pests. Thomas Reuters Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/zimbabwe-environment-forests/zimbabwes-parched-forests-fall-prey-to-new-pests-idUSL8N1AZ3PI.

Masau, P. (2017, June 1). Tobacco farmers wreak havoc on forests. The Financial Gazette. Retrieved from http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/tobacco-farmers-wreak-havoc-on-forests/