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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
DEEP in the scantily vegetated rural Matabeleland South, a beautiful conservation and environment restoration story is playing out.

Villagers from Sifanjani Village, Ward 13 in Gwanda have embarked on a project to reverse environmental degradation in their area.

The model, if replicated countrywide, in the Sadc, in Africa and the rest of the world, could make the earth a better place to live.

Community members have established a woodlot where they have planted more than 120 indigenous trees and 600 acacia seed balls on land that was becoming gully-ridden because it had been stripped of vegetation.

Using proven scientific methods, villagers have adopted eco-friendly environment management systems to optimise recovery of damaged land, which they say they will pass on to their children and future generations.

They operate under the mantra “I play my part; you play your part and our children will inherit a rich earth.”

Further, to playing their part in reducing ozone layer-eroding greenhouse gases that cause global warming and unpredictable climate patterns, villagers have planted fruit trees at their homesteads and worked on different conservation projects which include covering gullies and planting aloe to slow down soil erosion.

Greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases trap the heat of the sun in the earth and cause global temperatures to slowly increase.

Vegetation cover has been known to increase rain as the vapour released during photosynthesis alters the surface energy fluxes and leads to potential cloud formation.

In their commendable conservation efforts, the villagers have also constructed gabions to trap silt and debris from flowing into rivers and slow down movement of running water that digs gullies.

The community embarked on the project titled “Restoring degraded land to reduce poverty” with the assistance of Dabane Trust and Excellent Development.

Mr Patrick Dube who is the chairperson of the Natha Woodlot committee project said the woodlot which was established in December last year, had 12 different kinds of indigenous trees. He said villagers received training from the Forestry Commission on tree planting and tree care.

The villagers, he said, also received tree seedlings from the organisation to kick start their project and a perimeter fence to secure their woodlot.

“The Forestry Commission facilitated formation of natural resources management committees. We were trained on various conservation works, forestry conservation and also learnt the importance of trees on watershed management. We were educated on ecosystem services of trees, how they play a part in evapotranspiration, trap underground water and hold the soil together to protect against land degradation and control siltation of rivers.

“The organisation assisted us in establishing a woodlot where we planted seed balls and indigenous trees. About 400 fruit trees seedlings were distributed among the community and our neighbouring village Mawane 1 and we planted them at our homesteads. The trees include guavas, mangoes, oranges and paw paws,” he said.

The woodlot was strategically positioned for watershed protection as we have a dam close by.

The councillor of Ward 13 Miclas Ndlovu said under the project the community adopted environmentally friendly practices which will be passed on to generations to come.

Cllr Ndlovu said conservation methods like planting of trees will go a long way in ensuring food security in the future. He said the extent of land degradation within the community was alarming and it had not only affected the lives of people but of livestock as well.

Forestry Commission provincial manager for Matabeleland South, Mr Bekezela Tshuma said planting of trees was part of efforts to reverse deforestation which is the major cause of land degradation. He said establishment of woodlots and planting of trees in the community was part of afforestation.

Mr Tshuma said the Natha woodlot contained some indigenous trees which had become locally extinct.

“In the long run that woodlot will provide seed trees for other areas. When the trees within the woodlot have grown which is about three to four years from now, the villagers can remove the perimeter fence and establish a new woodlot in another degraded area.

“That area is secured with a perimeter fence which means it will be protected from grazing and this will ensure growth of grass within the woodlot. The grass will mature enough to produce seed which will be dispersed out of the woodlot by wind and growth of grass will extend outside the woodlot which is crucial for restoring degraded land. Planting of trees within homesteads will create a green belt along the water shed and inculcate a culture of tree growing within communities,” he said.

Dabane Trust projects officer, Mr Bernard Mpofu said restoring degraded land to reduce poverty project was aimed at empowering communities to take responsibility of preserving their environment.

“Our area as Matabeleland South province is bare, it doesn’t have grass which can prevent water run off resulting in soil being eroded and gullies being formed. We are trying to retain moisture in our land and one of the ways of doing this is reducing run off water and trying to find ways of stopping it so it can seep down into the ground.

“We are therefore promoting various methods such as silt traps, stone bands, growing plants across the slopes and also constructing gabions although they are a bit expensive as they require wire. These methods can also be used in the fields so that water retention can improve and crops have moisture for long periods. Some gullies are developing from homesteads and people don’t do anything to control them until they get out of hand,” he said.

Mr Mpofu said communities use available resources within their areas to restore degraded land such as stones which were available in abundance in Sifanjani Village. He said vegetation cover in the area had dropped thereby affecting the environment. Mr Mpofu said they had educated the community on the importance of planting and preserving trees.
— @DubeMatutu