Desperate miners are destroying tress

Zimbabwe’s Desperate Miners Ravage the Land

Hard-pressed by economic straits, illegal panners are tearing up Zimbabwe’s countryside in search of gold and diamonds. They leave behind a trail of destruction: devastated fields and forests, mud-choked rivers, and mercury-tainted water.Zimbabwe's desperate miners ravage the land

Cutting down tress will turn Zimbabwe into a desert

Re-settled citizens are cutting down tress clearing their lands and stands. Since a number had to clear land for their fields, this  found its way into deforestation as people cut trees.People must stop cutting down trees and farmers must plant trees (afforestation and reforestation) in their farms.The long-term sustainability of land, as an ecological asset, will depend on sound measures that should be taken to protect it as national heritage for all Zimbabweans. There IS deforestation of woodlands, stream bank cultivation, squatting on newly acquired land, poor layout of arable lands, creation of foot and cattle paths, destruction of game, overstocking, road destruction, bush encroachment and veld fires (Madanhi, 2010). Deforestation continues and is exacerbated by re-settlement programs in Zimbabwe today. There is fear that desert like conditions like those already existing in the Seke–Chihota communal area may be experienced in more areas if the problem of deforestation is not seriously addressed. The more Environmental  Managemental Agency (EMA) is trying to curb deforestation by planting trees and doing awareness campaigns the more people are continuing to cut down tress. The non-appointment of forestry officers had a negative impact on deforestation (awareness programmes and tree harvesting) as some districts like Zaka, Lupane, Hurungwe and Kariba went for more than 2 years without forestry officers.