Zim enacts new National Forestry Policy to ease deforestation

By Staff Writer

ZIMBABWE has enacted a new National Forestry Policy which is set to ease rampant deforestation and mobilise communities across the country to meaningfully contribute towards mitigating the impact of climate change.

After briefing Cabinet on the latest development Tuesday, Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube who also chairs the Cabinet Committee on National Development Planning, the cabinet proceeded to approve the policy which is in sync with the Constitution of Zimbabwe and the National Development Strategy 1.

“The policy seeks to promote community participation in forest management and create a platform for building resilience to the impacts of climate change by rehabilitating degraded areas, and maintaining and increasing the country’s forest cover.

“It will ensure that forests contribute effectively to national development, environmental protection, climate change mitigation, sustainable forest management, and benefit sharing of proceeds from the forests. The future of forests in Zimbabwe depends on the country’s ability to sustainably manage them,” said Ncube .

The National Forestry Policy thus provides for the strengthening of a legal and regulatory framework that promotes long-term national development through sustainable use of forests and meaningful participation of people who depend on forests for livelihoods.

It further seeks to safeguard 12 000 jobs in the forestry industry sector as well as  support technology transfer, innovation and training and research in valuation of the contribution of forest resources to ecosystems; and to provide an enabling devolution framework for meaningful participation of local communities and other stakeholders in sustainable forest management and benefit-sharing.

It is envisaged that the policy will improve the welfare of rural communities through Community Based Natural Resources Management principles such as the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) and Community Share Ownership Trusts and help curtail the steep decline in both ecological and economic productivity in the Forestry sector due to over exploitation and degradation of forests.

“ The national rate of deforestation accelerated from 100 000 hectares per year in the 1990s to over 330 000 hectares per year between 2000 and 2010.

“The major drivers of deforestation include illegal timber Page 10 of 20 logging; clearance of forests for agricultural activities; poor land-use planning; infrastructural development and human settlements; and the destruction of forests through wildfires,” said Ncube.

It is envisaged that the National Forestry Policy will empower traditional leaders to enforce customary and cultural principles regarding protection of forests from indiscriminate forest degradation practices and the enforcement of locally developed forest conservation by-laws and self-policing by all stakeholders.

“The proceeds from fines paid for forest related offences will be ploughed into forest management activities. The policy is accompanied by an Implementation Plan which will be funded through the fiscus and complemented by the Tobacco Levy in tobacco growing areas.

“The Plan will translate the Policy into concrete actions, and help strengthen and standardize all penalties dealing with forest offences across all legal entities that govern forest resources, including those issued by traditional leaders,” added Ncube.