Zambezi River Basin

The forest plantation programme in Zimbabwe is strongly linked to industrial utilisation and farming. An initial impact of land reformwas deforestation as forests were cleared to accommodate larger numbers of farmers, but the impact is yet to be quantified. Figure 4.52 shows that the proportion of land area covered by forests dropped by eight per cent per decade in the period from 1990 to 2010, according to FAO estimates.

Change in maize production in Zimbabwe

2 500 Thousand tonnes

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

Change in proportion of land area covered by forests in Zimbabwe

0 2000 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Percentage

60

Source: FAO 2010

Figure 4.50

40

Between 2000 and 2008, as economic challenges deepened, a significant proportion of the population was forced to rely more heavily on natural resources for their livelihood, including firewood, bush meat, traditional medicines, and wild fruits and vegetables, and this had an effect on biodiversity. The government has made efforts to ensure environmental protection in resettled areas through the Integrated Conservation Plan for the land reform programme (Government of Zimbabwe 2010). Between 2000 and 2005, Zimbabwe had the sixth highest rate of deforestation in Africa, averaging 3 130 sq km per year (FAO 2005), with increasing uncontrolled bush and forest fires. Agriculture is responsible for an estimated 700 sq km (roughly one quarter) of this annual loss, while heavy dependence on wood for fuel and commercial logging account for the rest (Figure 4.51).

20

0

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

Source: FAO 2010

Figure 4.52

Zimbabwe has done well in phasing out ozone depleting substances, reaching the target five years ahead of the 2015 deadline set by the Montreal Protocol (Government of Zimbabwe 2010). The extent of carbon emissions is not a significant factor in environmental sustainability in Zimbabwe at present. The estimated figures are low, and continue to go down (Figure 4.53).

Carbon dioxide emissions in Zimbabwe

Wood production in Zimbabwe

1 400 Thousand cubic metres

1.4 Metric tonnes per person per year

1 300

1.2

1 200

1.0

1 100

Industrial

1 000

0.8

900

0.6

800

Wood Fuel

0.4

700

0.2

600

500

0

2000 2001 2002 2003 1999 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Source: FAO 2010.

Source: AfDB 2010,

Figure 4.51

Figure 4.53

109