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Thupeyo Muleya 

Beitbridge Bureau

Rural communities should jealously guard against the exploitation of natural resources around them as forestation plays a key role in climate change mitigation.

The wanton cutting of trees and unorthodox harvesting of Mopani woodlands and the Mopani worms  should not be allowed to continue unabated.

This was said by Beitbridge East legislator, Cde Albert Nguluvhe, during a district tree planting day held at Fula Integrated Garden on Friday.

He said Government was committed to sound environmental management practices which gave trees as well as forests and woodland management a key role.

Cde Nguluvhe said it was very critical to protect trees and the natural environment from the veld fires, which had seen the country losing thousands of hectares to uncontrolled fires.

During this year’s fire season, which runs from July to October, there were 848 fire incidences that destroyed 491 883,06 hectares of land.

Last year (during the same period), there were 1 013 fires which burnt 650 137,86 hectares of land.

“In times such as these when global warming and climate change have become talking points, we need to ensure that our forestries play a key role in climate change mitigation,” said Cde Nguluvhe.

“We should, therefore, remain resolved to plant trees despite the droughts and other adverse climatic conditions. May I urge you as the custodians of these resources to guard against indiscriminate tree cutting and irresponsible handling of fire.”

Cde Nguluvhe said communities like Beitbridge were rich in Mopani woodlands and Mopani worms (Amacimbi) which needed to be properly extracted and nursed for the future.

Already, a multi-purpose plant had been set up at Matshiloni area to commercialise the extraction and packaging of Amacimbi, which communities should take advantage of.

According to Cde Nguluvhe, the Covid-19 pandemic has seen more people realising that some trees were medicinal, hence the need to up environmental conservation methods.

Speaking during the same event, Beitbridge head of Forestry Commission, Mr Zibusiso Ndlovu, said they were against the continual cutting down of trees.

“Between June and November, working with the police, Environmental Management Agency (EMA), and other stakeholders, we managed to arrest 42 people for violating environmental laws,” he said.

“Our idea is to register entities to extract and sell natural resources products properly at well designated points, not the hide and seek we are having with some syndicates.” 

EMA’s district head, Mrs Nompumelelo Chigwinya said Government was carrying out a number of programmes to deal with the creeping invasive species which threaten the environment.

She said they were also creating high integrated gardens and re-greening some areas where environmental degradation was well pronounced.