ZQMS-ARC-REC-002

ASSIGNMENT COVER
REGION: MATEBELELAND NORTH SEMESTER:
02 YEAR: 01

PROGRAMME Bachelor Of Science Honours In Development Studies (Bschds) INTAK E: 20

FULL NAME OF STUDEN T: SVOSVE MATRON PIN: P2074241X

EMAIL ADDRESS: shantymetty88@gmail.com

CONTACT TELEPHONE/CELL: 0773433148 ID. NO.: 23-068706 E 23

COURSE NAME: ENVIROMENTAL MANAGEMENT COURSE CODE: BSDS105

ASSIGNMENT NO. e.g. 1 or 2: 1 STUDENT’S SIGNATURE

DUE DATE: 25 Jan 2021 SUBMISSION DATE: 19 Jan 2021

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: (a) Identify any five key environmental challenges in your country. (b)
identify the institutions directly responsible for resolving these challenges and assess their
effectiveness in dealing with the challenges
Instructions
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from printed materials or from another student.
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Issue Date: 3 October 2013 Revision 0

Environmental resource management is the management of the interaction and impact of human
societies on the environment. It is not, as the phrase might suggest, the management of the
environment itself, (Wikipedia). As a matter of fact, there are a plethora and throngs of
environmental challenges. Suffice to say that the country under the new government should
respond by empowering national institutions namely but not limited to: Zimbabwe National Parks
(Zim Parks); Environmental Management Agency (EMA); Local City Authorities/ Municipalities;
Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe so as to meet these challenges. Therefore, the government
should give priority on empowering the said institutions to determine, in the years ahead,
Zimbabwe’ recoveries and successes, or its regrets from the impacts of these environmental
challenges. The following paragraphs showcase the five major environmental challenges in
Zimbabwe namely: poaching; deforestation; water pollution; poor land use and alluvial gold
panning/small scale gold mining. On the other hand, the essay critically assess the effectiveness of
the institutions directly responsible for resolving these challenges

Loss of biodiversity
Zimbabwe boasts of one of the richest biodiversity collections in Africa and is a leading destination
for tourists. For many years, it also boasted of well-maintained forest reserves, parks, wildlife and
various initiatives that encouraged conservation. But in the past few years, all that seemed to have
changed. This follows a trend similar to African countries’ and other parts of the world. According
to WWF (2015) the greatest cause to the loss of biodiversity is poaching. Poaching for purposes of
getting horns, tusks and meat has continued unabated.

Global Witness (2014) recorded that in 2001, nine of the nation’s mammal species and nine bird
species were endangered, as well as 73 types of plants.” More than half of black rhinoceroses (an
endangered species) in the world are in Zimbabwe, plus, other rare or threatened species such as the
cape vulture, ant eater, black-cheeked lovebird, leopard, brown hyena, pangolin etc. Over the years,
as the ability of public officials to enforce public order got considerably watered down, a number of
highly placed Zimbabweans with political connections engaged in organized hunting and poaching
to earn scarce foreign currency and for commercial bush meat. In one national park alone, about
100 elephants were said to have died from cyanide poisoning.

Continued threat to the extinction of animal species e.g. the black and white rhino has repeatedly
occurred throughout the nation. Specific examples include the phenomenon in Ghonarezhou where
poachers were caught with rhino horns in 2016. On the other hand, the killing of more than 300
elephants and other animal species in Hwange by cyanide in 2015. To this effect, Save Rhino
(NGO) has been trying to save the rhino enforcing tight security on the rhinos on their conservation
places. Furthermore, the NGO has been actively involved involved in multiplying the rhino
population by inbreeding, cross breeding by artificial insemination and natural ways.

Credit can also be given to Zimbabwe National Parks (Zim Parks) which also has been directly
involved in the resolving the poaching challenges, as they offer tight security in the National parks
like Hwange and Ghonarezhou. However, their presence is localized, yet poaching occurs in all
parts of Zimbabwe. Some relative efforts to this effect has come from Environmental Management
Agency (EMA) which is involved the monitoring and evaluation of plant and animal species
throughout Zimbabwe. However, their efforts are compartmentalized in that their presence is felt in
industries and factories, those that impact the environment to a greater extent. WWF (2015)
submitted that as loss of biodiversity as also tends to affect food security, the need to improve
biodiversity conservation in Zimbabwe, a serious environmental challenge in Zimbabwe, has never
been higher! But one thing is clear; Zimbabwe is rich in natural resources and has huge potential to
translate these into concrete economic development, provided these resources are sustainably
harnessed.

Deforestation
Deforestation is among the major environmental challenges facing Zimbabwe. Deforestation has
been necessitated by the indiscriminate cutting down of trees for firewood and other domestic uses;
clearing land for settlements (stands, residential, commercial); clearing land for farming. A
prototype example to the later is the land reform exercise where vast lands of forest were cleared
for the said reasons and purposes (Zikhali, (2008). The impacts of this include but not limited to:
increased soil erosion by wind and water; encroachment of desert-like environments; river siltation
and leaching of vital soil nutrients. The typical case study is that of Victoria Falls where the
clearing of land for settlements took place in 2017-2018. In the same (Victoria Falls) area again,
the clearing of land for farming took place in 2020 – 2021 rain season on the buffer zones for
purposes of farming and gardening as the lockdown brought in farming as a surviving tool.

In the outskirts of cities like Victoria Falls and many others, trees are cut for firewood and other
domestic uses since most residential areas are without power supply hence the rampant cutting of
tree. In many cities, including Victoria Falls, local authorities and municipals are giving people
residents without electricity supply, hence the increase in deforestation. While Environmental
Management Agency (EMA), the institution directly mandated to resolve deforestation challenge
could be trying its best, its efforts are barren and less fruitful in that it is again localized let alone
lacks resources and has inadequate workforce to be in every corner of the forest crippling its efforts
to really have a positive impact. On the other hand, another institution responsible for curtailing
deforestation is Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe which has failed to educate the community on
the preservation, conservation of trees and the importance of trees.

According to Gogo, (2014) more Zimbabweans resorted to firewood for cooking- more trees and
forestlands were lot. The increasing population also meant the need for more agricultural lands for
food cultivation, timber logging for wood for construction etc. The immediate environment bore
the brunt of the economic disaster, urban sprawl and overwhelmed social infrastructure.

At some point in the last two decades in Zimbabwe, deforestation was reported to have progressed
at about 70,000–100,000 ha per year. Specifically, reports say between 2000 and 2008, it is
estimated that it lost 100 000 and 320 000 hectares of forest cover per year. To put it in proper
perspective, Zimbabwe has lost about 1.5% of its forestland; justifying a place for deforestation as
one of the major environmental challenges in Zimbabwe (Grantham Research Institute, 2015)..

AfDB, OECD, and UNDP (2015) rightly observed that in the past decade, Zimbabwe endured one
of the world’s worst hyperinflation rates. As poverty level increased, forest resources tended to
suffer more as poor people resorted to felling trees for firewood, charcoal etc. Should things
continue at this rate, Zimbabwe could, decades from now, lose more considerable portions of its
forest resources, except creative ways of arresting deforestation are adopted.

Water pollution
The third environmental challenge that this essay wishes to discuss is water pollution. The major
factors that causes water pollution include but not restricted to: sewage waste and factory/industrial
effluent. The more the water is polluted; it invariable leads to the following impact: water hyacinth;
increased/decreased water Ph; the destruction of aquatic life by toxins (Nyemba et al, 2010).

To a much greater extent, water pollution is caused by poor waste management. One of the
reoccurring issues that every city has to contend with is municipal waste management. As a city
experiences population growth, industrialization and urbanization, the amount of wastes generated
by its residents also tend to increase, stretching existing waste management facilities. But this
problem takes on an extra meaning in Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, where extreme cash crunch,
lack of much needed investments in waste management systems and other factors have resulted in a
situation where waste generation considerably outpaces the scope of what of city authorities can
effectively manage.

Chigumira (2015) posits that due to worsening inefficient waste collection by authorities and non-
existent services in “unreached” areas, particularly low-income areas, a good junk of Zimbabwe’s
0.5 million tons of solid wastes per year ends up in the environment. Thus, indiscriminate dumping
of wastes and illegal waste dumps, open burning and other unwholesome environmental practices
have been on the increase, with huge implications for public health.

According to reports, waste collection rates in Zimbabwe have consistently slumped, sometimes by
more than 70% in a number of cities leading to over 80% increase in volume of potentially
hazardous wastes deposited at illegal dumpsites; the consequences for the public have been
damning (Chikodzi and Mutowo, 2014). With steady surges in outbreaks of diseases like dysentery,
cholera, diarrhea etc., reports say Harare and other Zimbabwean cities recorded an average of 1,000
cases per day between 2005 and 2009, resulting in over 3,000 deaths (Grantham Research Institute,
2015).

Also of concern is the reduction in air quality due to pollution from the industrial sector, vehicular
emissions, and smoke from burning of firewood, water pollution from mining of mineral ores and
agricultural practices and other sources. With one of the world’s worst cases of contamination by
DDT and its derivatives in agricultural products (DDT is a banned pesticides reported to be
carcinogenic), Zimbabwe stands at a precipice of environmental disaster (Mharapara and,
Marongwe, 2010).

The unfortunate case study is that of Shagashe River in Masvingo which has been heavily affected
by hyacinth due to the continued pollution by sewer water from bursting local pipes. In Harare,
Lake Chivero has been heavily affected by toxins from industries in Harare; hence it has affected
the aquatic life. In cities, the institutions mandated to deal with water pollution challenge include
the city councils. In the case of Shagashe river and lake Chivero pollution, the Masvingo City
Council and Harare city council are respectively responsible for the maintenance of worn out sewer
pipes, however one may be forced to think that it is the lack of resources or perhaps poor
leadership. Furthermore, Environmental Management Agency (EMA), responsible for monitoring
and evaluating industries directly to the environment has done little but rather found wanting in
curtailing water pollution challenges. The reasons why it has failed is that it does its monitoring
after long intervals, such that the space for polluting the environment is always available

Poor land use

Mharapara and Marongwe (2010) highlights poor land use as one of the major causes land
degradation Poor land use manifests itself in three fold namely: overgrazing; ploughing on steep
slopes and stream bank cultivation. Overgrazing causes the loosening of soils; increased
runoff/erosion by wind and water; river siltation and leaching of nutrients due to increased
percolation. In almost similar ways to overgrazing, ploughing on steep slopes invariable leads to:
increased runoff/erosion by water and river siltation. The same goes with stream bank cultivation
that also causes increased runoff/ erosion and river siltation. Typical case studies of where poor
land use has been practised include but not limited to: Victoria Falls in Monde Village where there
has been rampant overgrazing in that area, bare soils evident and cattle herded in town sometimes.

In Chiredzi, ploughing on steep slopes and stream bank cultivation has resulted in the siltation of
Save River. The organisations mandated to curtail this challenge include Environmental
Management Agency (EMA) which in almost many cases has been reluctant or done very little in
educating people about the environment. To exacerbate the challenge, the local authorities have
also been reluctant in criminals, those that breach the environmental laws.

Alluvial gold panning and Small scale gold mining

The Zimbabwean economic quagmire has invariable precipitated the massive and vigorous
engagement of artisanal miners in alluvial gold panning and increased the number of small scale
gold miners. According to Dhliwayo, (2014) these mining activities has led to the unprecedented
levels of land degradation invariable causing a lot of open pits; heaps of soil and rock; river
siltation and river pollution due highly toxic substances like cyanide and mercury. Case studies of
areas where mining activities have caused land degradation include: Mberengwa gold panners and
small scale miners; Filabusi gold panners and small scale miners; Gwanda gold panners and small
scale miners; Shurugwi gold panners and small scale miners; Kwekwe gold-panners; Kadoma small
scale miners and Mazowe gold panners and small scale miners (Chifamba, 2014).

The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) responsible for monitoring and evaluation
environmental sustainability has tried its best but with little success. Notwithstanding the fact that
people have been made to pay fines by EMA, there has been no positive impact on the
rehabilitation of the damaged environment. Another sad case study where the Zimbabwe National
Parks failed in its mandate of land conservation is the reported characteristic phenomenon of a
Chinese company that had begun building a plant right in the Hwange National Park in the second
half of 2020. Better still, after a series of confrontation propounded by the community of Hwange,
the company finally closed its operations.
References
AfDB, OECD, and UNDP (2015). African Economic Outlook , Zimbabwe

Chifamba, M.; (2014). Poor mining activities, The Herald Newspaper, 18 December 2014

Chigumira (2015). Addressing issues of climate change and scope for green growth in Zimbabwe:
A situational analysis, April 2015

Dhliwayo M. (2014). A review of Zimbabwe’s draft Mineral Policy. Zimbabwe Environmental

Law Association (ZELA).

Global Witness (2014). Deadly Environment

Grantham Research Institute (2015). Climate Change Legislation in Zimbabwe, an excerpt from the
2015 Global Climate Legislation Study, A Review of Climate Change Legislation in 99 Countries.

Muzingili, T.; (2016). Greening the profession: A missing perspective in contemporary Social
Work practice inZimbabwe. African Journal of Social Work, 6(2): 29-39.

Nyemba A., E. Manzungu, S. Masango and S. Musasiwa (2010). “The impact of water scarcity on
environmental health in selected residential areas in Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe”, in Physics and
Chemistry of the Earth 35 (2010) 823–827.

WWF (2015). Zimbabwe Conservation Strategy: 2015-2020

Zikhali, Precious (2008). “Fast Track Land Reform and Agricultural Productivity in Zimbabwe”,
Working Paper in Economics No 322. University of Gothenburg, School of Business, Economics
and Law, Department of Economics, October 2008