HomeOld_PostsPreserving our heritage: Part Six......over-development destroys natural heritage

Preserving our heritage: Part Six……over-development destroys natural heritage

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By Dr Michelina Andreucci

NATURAL heritage encompass places and/or areas of the natural environment that have aesthetic, historical, scientific or social importance, are of unique value for the present communities as well as for future generations.  
An important factor distinguishing places of natural heritage from other areas of social values is that these places of natural heritage relate to definable and valued areas of land and have been (or should be) formally identified and set aside and actively managed for conservation purposes, along with other uses.
Such places or areas, apart from their fauna and flora include national parks, natural habitats, geological sites, wetlands, botanic gardens, buildings of importance and conservancies of significant value.
Our natural heritage in Zimbabwe includes both listed and, some as yet, unlisted places, which can and should, be listed as ‘heritage’ at the local, state/national or international level; including Chimurenga sites, sacred caves and Bushmen paintings, the Chirinda Forest and the breathtaking beauty of Boterekwa, the natural, real roller-coaster.
Chizarira National Park is endowed with remarkable species of flora, including the rarest of tree species found nowhere else in Zimbabwe.
The dwarf Musasa forests found only on west-ward facing slopes in Nyanga and the indigenous Aloe inyongensis that grows only on the highest peaks in the area.
The savannah woodland that dominates the Bvumba Mountains are a botanical paradise with mosses and epiphytic as well as lithophytic ferns (not growing in the ground); some of the rarest butterflies in the region, an exciting and varied birdlife; it is also home to several rare reptiles including marshalls leaf chameleon rhampholeon marshalli, arnolds skink (proscelotes arnoldi) and frogs.
The Bunga Forest Botanical Reserve is home to an important cycad collection, with 59 of the 189 known species.
The Bvumba Mountain’s Eastern margin is mainly composed of granite and encroached by Umkondo dolerite sills, dating approximately 1 110 Millennia, forming the Zimbabwe Craton, dating over 2 600 Millennia.
No doubt many Zimbabweans may ask; what is the fuss over trees and animals?
However, our inter-dependency upon the environment can clearly be outlined with the species pterocarpus angolensis – mubvamaropa (Shona), mupumigazi (Ndebele) and also known also as Mukwa.
This tree makes a prime example of the importance of indigenous trees as our botanical pharmacy and also part of our heritage, on which the indigenous people have depended for centuries.
Birds are important, since in Shona mythology birds can foretell what is going to happen.
The mubvamaropa tree, from the bark, sap, leaves and roots, in various ways and by various concoctions, has several curative uses ranging from piles, stomach disorders, headaches, earache, ringworm, mouth ulcers and gonorrhoea.
It is said to cure malaria, blackwater fever, diarrhoea, bilharzia and abdominal pains, asthma and tuberculosis, as well as various ailments such as sore eyes, bleeding gums, skin lesions and stab wounds.
The timber from the mubvamaropa tree is termite and borer-resistant and is used by indigenous people to make dishes and mortars.
It was preferred for making canoes, canoe paddles, game and fish spears, as well as other trappings such as sceptres and walking sticks.
Traditionally drums and mbiras were also made from mubvamaropa as its hard wood produces a rich, resonant sound, especially suited for musical instruments.
Mubvamaropa was also used to make high-quality (Mukwa) furniture, floors, panels, doors, window frames and shelving; and the sap was used for dye.
Flowering is usually around mid-October, before the rains, giving manner to the animals before the new growth that follow the rain.
The tree is fed upon by many animals, including the larva of some butterfly species, squirrels, baboons, monkeys and elephants.
The tree produces an abundance of orange-yellow scented flowers, which are a good source of pollen for apiculture.
Although fruiting may begin at about 20 years, mubvamaropa only bears fruit at 35 years of age.
It is evident therefore, that the destruction of these trees, either by forest fires or other methods of deforestation would normally take over twenty years to recover.
Can Zimbabwe wait that long for its forests to re-generate and recover?
Surely these trees and the rest of the eco-system are more valuable than an amusement park?
What benefit will Zimbabwe derive from an amusement park five, 10 or 20 years from now?
Yet the forests have been there for centuries and God will see that they will be there for more centuries to come provided we help Him by maintaining, preserving and conserving what He has bequeathed to the people of Zimbabwe – yesterday, today and tomorrow!
Our responsibility is to act consciously to conserve and preserve.
It is not different from respecting other people’s rights in our interactions; being courteous and sensitive to the needs of the animals and environment.
The people who visit Africa are of a certain age; they will be looking for something different, peaceful and unique.
They ‘travel to experience the places, artefacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people…which can include cultural, historic and natural resources’, as defined by the US’ National Trust for Historic Preservation.
And although many visitors to Zimbabwe find it relatively expensive, one of the country’s main attraction as a holiday destination is that Zimbabwe ‘has not been over-developed and over-commercialised’ yet.
For Victoria Falls, its wilderness is its value; the spectacular gorges and the Rainforest, the animals, all provide a unique experience to the visitor.
UNESCO has to date revoked the status of two World Heritage Sites.
The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, in Oman (2007), was revoked after that country’s government reduced the size of the protected area set aside for rare antelope species by 90 percent.
The Elbe Valley status was revoked in Dresden, Germany, after the authorities constructed a bridge through the valley thereby compromising the natural beauty and value of this celebrated historical area.
Let Zimbabwe not be the third country to have its status revoked!
Dr Michelina Rudo Andreucci is a Zimbabwean-Italian researcher, industrial design consultant and specialist tourism and hospitality interior decorator. She is a published author in her field.
For views and comments, email: linamanucci@gmail.com

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