The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Sunday News Reporter
THE Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu has said Zimbabwe has been losing its forest resources at an average rate of approximately 262 349 hectares per annum in the last decade due to the perennial challenges of deforestation and forest degradation.
Speaking at the commemoration of the International Day of Forests, and the official launch of the 2021 tree of the year in Bulawayo last Friday, Minister Ndlovu said the day should be understood as an intention to publicise in the entire world the very significant role which forests play for humanity. The 2021 the global theme was “Forest Restoration: a path to recovery and well-being.
“The theme comes at a time we have embarked on the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (2021- 2030). Locally, the theme finds its rightful space as the Natural Resources Sector is implementing a plethora of restoration programmes, including activities under the Zambezi Valley Biodiversity Project (2018 to 2024); the African Landscape Restoration initiative (AFR100) which feeds into, and contributes towards the Bonn Challenge.”
He added that Zimbabwe had a target of restoring two million hectares of degraded forest land by 2030 and under the Global Environment Facility Phase 7 which is currently being finalized, Zimbabwe targets to restore degraded dryland ecosystems in identified parts of Masvingo, Midlands and Manicaland Provinces.
The Minister highlighted that under the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030, Zimbabwe was working hard to fulfil the six Global Forest Goals keys which included reversing the loss of forest cover through Sustainable Forest Management, enhance Forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits that includes improving the livelihoods of forest dependent people and increase significantly the area of protected forests and other sustainably managed forests among others.
Minister Ndlovu also launched the tree of the year 2021, which is the Piliostigma thonningii, commonly known as Camel’s foot or Monkey bread in English; or Musekesa or Mutukutu in Shona, and Ihabahaba in Ndebele.
“This small to medium size tree can be found naturally growing in woodlands or wooded grasslands and is browsed by both livestock and wildlife. Its leaves can be chewed by humans to quench thirst. The pods are a very nutritious fodder whose powder can be mixed with the powder of another fodder tree, Dichrostachys cenerea (Mupangara in Shona, Ugagu in Ndebele) to produce rapid cattle fattening feed for those involved in fattening cattle for beef. The Musekesa tree can be propagated easily from its scarified seed,” he said.
