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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).
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.
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).
Figure 4.50
Figure 4.52
Figure 4.51
Figure 4.53
Change in maize production
in Zimbabwe
2 500
Thousand tonnes
2 000
1 500
1 000
500
0
2000
1999
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Source: FAO 2010
2000 2001 2002 2003
1999
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Wood production in Zimbabwe
Source: FAO 2010.
600
500
700
800
900
1 000
1 100
1 300
1 200
1 400
Thousand cubic metres
Industrial
Wood Fuel
0
20
40
60
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Change in proportion of land area
covered by forests in Zimbabwe
Source: FAO 2010
Percentage
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
Metric tonnes per person per year
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Carbon dioxide emissions
in Zimbabwe
Source: AfDB 2010,