CHRISTIANITY is one religion embraced by most Zimbabweans as it is estimated that about 70 to 80 percent of the country’s population claim to be Christians.
Cognisant of this, the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe (FCZ) has decided to rope in churches in strengthening its afforestation programme in the country.
In an interview, FCZ deputy-general manager, Abednego Marufu said the involvement of churches is expected to be the biggest milestone as church leaders and opinion leaders, command a great respect from their congregants.
“We launched the initiative after recognising that churches are very effective in shaping people’s minds and we launched the programme just before Easter when we went to the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) in Mbungo Masvingo,” Marufu said.
“Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi and his congregants who had gathered for the Easter Conference planted about 2 000 eucalyptus trees on one hectare at Mbungo farm.
“Bishop Mutendi then urged different pastors from his church to have their own tree planting days on their calendars and we anticipate that if all the 42, ZCC centres in Zimbabwe plant at least a hectare then we will have 42 hectares from one church.”
Marufu said the FCZ was yet to engage other churches, but they hoped to approach prophets like, Emmanuel Makandiwa, Walter Magaya and Paul Mwazha, among others and other conventional church leaders from the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), Methodist and Anglican, among other churches.
He said the involvement of churches in the tree planting initiative would reinforce and complement traditional leaders and politicians who have been taking the lead in the afforestation programmes.
This, said Marufu, was in line with increasing their annual target which is currently at 12 million trees annually.
However, in the past two years, the FCZ surpassed that target hence the need to increase the bar to 20 million trees annually.
The tree planting season starts normally at the end of October or early November and stretches up to end of March.
This is done to ensure that the trees get sufficient water until it is firm.
According to the FCZ, small-holder farmers are destroying about 7,5 million trees every year through obtaining firewood critical in curing Zimbabwe’s biggest cash crop, tobacco.
This figure continues to rise because tobacco farmers are increasing every year.
That damage causes severe environmental headaches at a time of rapidly changing climates.
Deforestation and forest degradation contribute globally to approximately 17 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions such as methane and carbon dioxide, the chief culprits behind global warming and climate change.
However, forests can act as sponges capable of removing those gases from the atmosphere and giving off indispensable oxygen.
Another 40 percent is attributed to other activities such as cattle ranching, cash crop plantations and the construction of dams, roads and mines.
Veld fires also contribute significantly to the reduction of forests.
However, deforestation is primarily caused by the activities of the general population.
As the Zimbabwe economy plummets, indigenous timber merchants are on the rise, trying to eke a living at the expense of the environment.
Forests are vital for life, home to millions of species, they protect soil from erosion, produce oxygen, store carbon dioxide, and help control climate.
Forests are also vital as they provide food, shelter and medicines as well as many other useful things.
They also purify breathing air and water needed to survive.
Deforestation by humans is causing all of these necessary functions to be lessened, hence damaging the atmosphere even further.
Plants and agricultural crops also draw in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, however, forests store up to 100 times more carbon than agricultural fields of the same area.
It is estimated that more than 1,5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere due to deforestation, mainly the cutting and burning of forests, every year.
Over 30 million acres of forests and woodlands are lost every year due to deforestation; causing a massive loss of income to poor people living in remote areas who depend on the forest to survive.