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Business Reporter
THE government is rolling out countrywide consultative meetings to gather input from different interest groups on the crafting of a National Forest Policy that will guide preservation and exploitation of the natural resource. A team from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate led by Irvin Kunene started the exercise in Bulawayo last Wednesday, where it met government officials and local authority representatives, among others.

“The purpose of these consultations is to elicit views of various stakeholders in order to come up with an all inclusive National Forest Policy of Zimbabwe,” said Kunene. “The value, use, benefits and contribution of forests to national development have been underestimated and consequently forests have been lowly prioritised in national development plans.”

The Forest Act and the Communal Lands Forest Produce Act are the two main pieces of legislation governing the use and management of trees and forests in the country. Other laws in the country that impact on forests include the Traditional Leaders Act, Rural District Councils Act and the Communal Lands Act.

Kunene said the forestry legislation has not been updated following the adoption of the National Environment Policy and Strategies, the Environmental Management Act and the new Constitution. “There’s a need for Zimbabwe to develop a clear forest policy that recognises the multiple functions and interests in forests, to ensure that they contribute effectively to national development, local economies and environmental protection including climate change adaptation and mitigation,” he said.

Kunene said the proposed forest policy and legal framework should support the diverse ownership and interests of various interest groups. “The forest policy that you’re crafting today should define forest management, conservation and development. Indigenous forests play a key role in the furniture industry therefore the forest policy should capture the aspirations of the sector going forward,” he said.

Kunene said interested groups should consider issues of deforestation, local communities, value addition and adoption of forestry as a viable land use option. “The national annual rate of deforestation had accelerated from 100,000 hectares per year in the 1990s to 327,000 ha between 2000 and 2010.

“Factors contributing to the high rate of deforestation and forest degradation across the country include for agriculture, tobacco curing; over-exploitation for fuel wood,” he said.