Zimbabwe, a land-locked country in Southern Africa, boasts a rich diversity of natural resources and ecosystems. This article provides an overview of the environmental landscape of Zimbabwe, including its climate, natural resources, conservation efforts, and sustainable development initiatives. The country subscribes to the principles of AGENDA 21.
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system for Zimbabwe.
Climate and Geography
Zimbabwe, lying north of the Tropic of Capricorn, is completely within the tropics but enjoys subtropical conditions because of its high average elevation. Toward the end of the hot, dry months, which last from August to October, monsoon winds that have crossed the Indian Ocean and Mozambique result in intense orographic rainfall when they meet the rampart formed by the eastern highlands. The eastern regions consequently receive the country’s heaviest rainfall and have a more prolonged rainy season lasting from October into April than the rest of Zimbabwe.
June is generally the coolest month and October the warmest; temperature variations correspond closely to altitude. Inyanga, at about 5,500 feet in the eastern highlands, varies in temperature from a mean of 52° F (11° C) in July to one of 65° F (18° C) in October. Harare, at about 4,800 feet, has seasonal temperatures varying from 57° F (14° C) to 70° F (21° C), and Bulawayo, at 4,400 feet, varies from 57° F (14° C) to 70° F (21° C). Daily variations about these means are some 13° F (7° C) warmer in the afternoon and 13° F (7° C) cooler at night. Harare and Bulawayo each average about eight hours of sunshine per day, and this average does not drop below six hours during the rainy season.
Temperature and precipitation patterns in Zimbabwe.
Read also: NEMA's Mandate in Kenya
Natural Resources
Zimbabwe's natural vegetation cover is characterised by savannah woodlands interspersed with open grassed drainage lines or dambos. Impeded drainage gives rise to limited areas of open grassland. Zimbabwe has few perennial rivers and no natural lakes. Storage development is therefore dependent on run-off water accumulated during the rainy season. There are over 8,000 dams in the country with a storage capacity of about 4,900 million cubic metres.
Forestry
Sixty six percent of the countrys land area is under various woodland types compared to 27 percent under cultivation. The heaviest concentrations of indigenous woodlands occur in the gazetted state forests, national parks, the Eastern Highlands and large-scale commercial farms. Zimbabwe has a well-established plantation forest resource base covering some 155,853 ha. About 90 percent of the plantations are located in the eastern districts. About 71 percent of the planted area is under softwoods (pines), 13 percent under hardwoods (eucalyptus) and 16 percent under wattle.
Zimbabwes natural forests generate a wide range of timber and non-timber products and services. The products include fuelwood for charcoal making, sawn timber and pulpwood, building materials, wood for small artisanal crafts, fodder, fruits, honey, mushroom, insects, bark for rope, medicine, leaf litter and gum. The services include watershed conservation carbon fixation; and the provision of windbreaks, shade, soil stability and wildlife habitat.
It also controls development and change of land use. It ensures planning for best possible land use and management. Management of land resources in Zimbabwe aims to minimize or eliminate environmental problems, especially in communal areas, from land and water use.
Wildlife
Cultivation of the land and the reduction of the natural vegetation have resulted in the disappearance of many forms of animal life over large areas. Hwange National Park, holding some of the densest remaining wildlife concentrations in Africa, has an area of more than 5,000 square miles and stretches from the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls railway line westward to the Botswana border. Among the flesh-eating animals found there, and occasionally elsewhere, are the lion, leopard, cheetah, serval, civet, aardvark, spotted and brown hyena, black-backed and side-striped jackal, zorille, ratel, bat-eared fox, ant bear, and scaly anteater. Elephants are found in the northern region, and giraffes in the western bushland; hippopotamuses and crocodiles live in the larger rivers.
Read also: From Hawaiian Village to Landmark
Conservation efforts in southern Africa have been aided by the creation of transfrontier parks and conservation areas, which link nature reserves and parks in neighbouring countries to create large, international conservation areas that protect biodiversity and allow a wider range of movement for migratory animal populations. One such park is the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which links Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park with South Africa’s Kruger National Park and Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park.
Environmental Challenges
Zimbabwe faces several environmental challenges, including:
- Deforestation
- Soil degradation and siltation of rivers and dams
- Water scarcity
- Climate change impacts
- Pollution
Zimbabwe has been significantly impacted by climate variability, evidenced by rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, frequent droughts, and devastating cyclones, which threaten agriculture, the environment, and the livelihoods of millions who depend on rain-fed farming.
Climate warming stripes for Zimbabwe.
Access to water is a key to development and poverty reduction in Zimbabwe. The country is already prone to droughts, which have become more recurrent over the last two decades. The geographical location of Zimbabwe in the tropics makes it vulnerable to shifting rainfall patterns, and water resources availability. Zimbabwe is also vulnerable to climate driven health impacts from vector borne diseases such as malaria worsened by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Read also: Bindura University
The open access, common property situation in these forests lends itself to over-exploitation. The gradual erosion of cultural and ethical values tied to forests has also contributed to woodland degradation. Fires, insects, disease and browsing by wildlife are also significant factors. By far however, the opening up of forestland for agricultural expansion tied to resettlement, is the major reason for the loss of forest biodiversity.
Conservation and Sustainable Development
The Republic of Zimbabwe is a lower-middle-income country with strong human and natural capital and considerable growth potential. Even so-Zimbabwe can build on its highly educated workforce, abundant natural resources, and recent advances in economic policy, together with key structural and institutional reforms-to achieve steady and rapid growth and move towards upper-middle-income country status, which the Government of Zimbabwe has targeted for 2030.
Global climate change is viewed as a serious issue by the Government of Zimbabwe. By including climate change issues in the 1996 review of environmental legislation, Zimbabwe intends to incorporate climate change policies in its national development plans.
Several initiatives and policies have been implemented to address these challenges:
- Environmental Management Agency (EMA): The EMA is responsible for the management of toxic chemicals. The government, through the EMA, promotes mandatory companies’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure, especially in mining projects to ensure the sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment.
- National Environmental Policy and Strategies: These provide a framework for environmental management and sustainable development.
- Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM): These projects use participatory methods with a view to eradicating poverty in the long-term.
On the frontlines of climate change in Zimbabwe | UNICEF
The DEAP project is elaborating on sustainable, viable and optimum land use systems to ensure planning for best possible land use and management. Guidelines for the various sectors are being developed in various institutions in two forms.
Government Policies and International Cooperation
The Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) welcomes foreign direct investment (FDI) to support economic growth and improve the country’s international competitiveness. To attract FDI and improve the country’s competitiveness, the government has encouraged public-private partnerships and emphasized the need to improve the investment climate by lowering the cost of doing business as well as restoring the rule of law and sanctity of contracts.
Zimbabwe has negotiated investment treaties with 32 countries, but it has ratified only 17 including those with the Netherlands, Kuwait, Denmark, China, Germany, Russia, South Africa, and Switzerland. Zimbabwe is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and it is a signatory to the SADC and COMESA trade protocols establishing free trade areas (FTA) with the aim of growing into a customs union. Zimbabwe is also a member of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which came into force on January 1, 2021, with the aim of creating a single continental market and paving the way for the establishment of a customs union.
Zimbabwe, like the rest of Africa, is constrained by its inability to put appropriate measures in place in order to respond to climate change requirements because of the lack of human, institutional and financial resources. Adaptation measures to address climate change impacts are thus required to reduce impact in key economic sectors, especially agriculture.
While Zimbabwe's contribution to global emissions of GHG is very small, there is growing concern over the potential impacts of climate change on the country in the future.
Popular articles:
tags:
