Zimpapers Logo

Conrad Mwanawashe Business Reporter
GOVERNMENT will, in the next 12 months, solicit for stakeholder input for the National Forest Policy, a process which is aimed at realigning forest policies to the emerging concepts on sustainable development.

Until now, the value of forests to economic development has grossly been understated and forests have consequently been accorded low priority in national development plans.

Government has all along been managing forests without a formal document.

According to Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Saviour Kasukuwere, the new policy recognises the multiple functions of and interests in forests, to ensure that they contribute effectively to national development and environmental protection, including climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Launching the National Forest Policy Development process yesterday, Minister Kasukuwere said until now Government has managed forests through a number of policy statements that were developed by the Forestry Commission guiding the management of the country’s forests in plantation, indigenous and community sectors.

“There is need to practise sustainable forest management, which is the conservation and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfil relevant ecological, economic and social functions,” said Minister Kasukuwere.

The policy will also seek to address the continual decline of forests due to deforestation and forest degradation.

Any depletion of forests may affect companies such as Allied Timbers whose operations involved plantations, harvesting and processing, marketing and selling of both pine and gum including exotic timber such as teak and highly concentrated in the Eastern Highlands, the Midlands and Matabeleland areas of Zimbabwe.

“The rate of deforestation, which is currently estimated at 330 000 hectares per annum, does not augur well for the country’s intention to protect and conserve forests. Accelerating urbanisation at 3,5 percent per annum, is increasing energy demand and will inevitably lead to more expanses of forest and woodlands being decimated.

“Thus, there is need to adopt measures that will address this downward spiral by engaging individuals, communities, the private sector and civil society to adopt sustainable forest management practices,” Minister Kasukuwere said.

Forests provide a wide range of forest products and services upon which communities depend for their livelihoods. The forest products include honey, mushrooms, fruits, medicines, woodfuel, construction poles and fodder for livestock and wild animals.

Over 70 percent of the people in Zimbabwe rely on forests and trees for their energy needs, mostly as fuelwood. Forests contribute about four percent to Gross Domestic Product and provide an economic resource with trade in timber and other forest products.