The Sunday News
Vincent Gono, Features Editor
HIS vision is to see every other area where there is soil covered with vegetation while his dream is to see the country not importing fruits but exporting them to other countries that have climatic conditions that do not allow for growth of such.
But his biggest undoing is a deficiency, a lack — not of seeds, passion or skill but of land to grow the trees and what he calls a gross lack of appreciation of environment issues by the powers that be.
When he talks about trees, Mr Kheyi Masuku oozes confidence. He is just passionate about the subject of trees. Not that he went to school to learn about environment conservation, forestry and stuff, all what he knows is through passion, research and partly a result of his experience on a tree seedling farm that he once worked on in South Africa in 2006.
He has planted fruit trees at various police stations, schools, council premises and any other open space that he sees fit as part of community service and just to massage his urge and love for trees.
And because he doesn’t have land, he is growing his nursery with thousands of various tree species at Mzilikazi Primary School and has donated thousands of trees to the city council, runners for Miss Earth and those that want them and that know about him.
He said he was allowed to grow his nursery by the headmaster of the school at a place that was a school dumpsite. He has not limited himself to fruit trees only. He is growing both exotic and indigenous trees in his nursery where he uses empty beer packages that he picks from local beer halls. He has more than 2 000 avocado trees, more than 1 000 moringa trees, oranges, mangoes and various indigenous tree species that are not necessarily fruit trees.
“There is no reason why the country should be importing fruits such as oranges and lemons let alone avocados when we can grow them locally and even export them to other countries. The issue there boils down to lack of planning and lack of appreciation of the financial value that we are losing as a country. I have been growing all types of trees and giving them out for free to those with a passion and who are willing to grow them.
“If I tell you the offices that I have been to and the responses that I have been getting you will be shocked. I have been discouraged by people least expected to so. I was referred from pillar to post when all I wanted was a piece of land to grow my nursery and feed the trees to the various Government departments for free,” he said.
Mr Masuku said he was encouraged by President Mnangagwa’s vision to turn the country into a middle-income economy by 2030. He however, said if nothing was done on the environment side to make sure the authorities understand the economics around trees, their products, and their importance to the environment, the country would have turned into a desert.
“The signs of desertification are there for all to see. If you look at the stretch of Ntabazinduna along Harare Road you will surely agree that if nothing is done that whole area is fast degrading into a desert. I have tried to engage Chief Ndiweni for a piece of land so that I grow trees but it looks like there are processes that need to be followed. But all I wanted was to use that land that was once a jatropha plantation that failed to grow trees to cover up the area and prevent further erosion by wind and water,” he added.
Stressing the importance of trees, Mr Masuku said trees give us oxygen, store carbon, stabilise the soil and give life to the world’s wildlife. They also provide us with the materials for tools and shelter and they are also used as a source of traditional medicines.
He also said they promote bee keeping that feed the apiculture industry.
Commenting on the work that Mr Masuku is doing in environment conservation, a sustainable forest specialist Mr Barnabas Mawire said it is critical that woodlands and trees in urban settings, such as parks, are preserved and sustainably managed across the country.
“The canopies of trees act as a physical filter, trapping dust and absorbing pollutants from the air, a number of them are also known to have medicinal properties. According to research each individual tree removes up to 1,7 kilos every year. They also provide shade from solar radiation and reduce noise. Trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and the carbon that they store in their wood helps slow the rate of global warming.
“They reduce wind speeds and cool the air as they lose moisture and reflect heat upwards from their leaves. It’s estimated that trees can reduce the temperature in a city by up to 7°C,” said Mr Mawire.
Research has also shown that within minutes of being surrounded by trees and green space, your blood pressure drops, your heart rate slows and your stress levels come down.
Trees also help prevent flooding and soil erosion by absorbing thousands of litres of storm water.
The Government, through its economic blueprint, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme put emphasis on environment issues by highlighting that it targets protection, restoration and promotion of sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable management of forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and bio-diversity loss.
“Zimbabwe used to pride itself among the best on biodiversity conservation within the region, with 12,3 percent of the land being protected National Parks and Wildlife areas, and 2,6 percent State Forests.
However, there has been a reduction in the quantity and quality of natural resources emanating from uncontrolled deforestation, siltation, as well as pollution of both flora and fauna.
“Hence, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 15, targets protection, restoration and promotion of sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable management of forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and bio-diversity loss,” reads part of the document being implemented by the Government.
The document also spells out the dangers to forests posed by veld fires saying the uncontrollable spread of veld fires is posing a threat to the tourism and timber industries, particularly in the Eastern Highlands, as a large proportion of timber plantations were destroyed by veld fires, while the mountains in the area risk losing their picturesque features, which is a major source of tourist attraction.
“Government will, therefore, intensify implementation of national fire protection strategies, which incorporate local stakeholder participation in veld fire prevention and management, and awareness campaigns to protect the country’s vegetation,” notes the TSP.
