EXTENSIVE coverage has been dedicated to Tokwe Mukorsi Dam construction and the disaster wrought by floods that displaced families that lived nearby and were relocated to the Mwenezi area.
The stories in the media have highlighted the plight of the unfortunate villagers, the loss of crops and means of livelihood.
However, what has not been talked about, but yet is as important as the lives of those displaced is the loss of biodiversity in the Tokwe Mukorsi area.
What many people do not know is that the area ravaged by the floods is home to an important and valuable indigenous tree called Mutuputupu or the B.jalbertii.
This tree is popular among locals for its unique attributes that include being borer proof and self-pruning.
The tree can grow as tall as 30 metres, in riverine conditions and is a potential alternative source of timber that can replace some exotic species like the eucalyptus or gum trees which are used in construction.
According to the Forestry Commission, the tree is classified under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red data list, meaning it is threatened with extinction.
“The IUCN classifies the mutuputupu tree as near threatened and this should serve as a drive for the conservation of the tree species,” the Forestry Commission said.
“With a baseline of minus 1 000 trees of this indigenous tree species around the year 2000, there hasn’t been a proper inventory to determine how many trees are remaining.
“What we know is there has been pressure or a preference to this tree for household purposes and this has been a threat for the survival of the tree.
“This has been made worse by the construction of the Tokwe Murkosi Dam whose valleys has had a population of about 20 mature trees of about 20 to 30 centimetre diameter and can produce seeds.”
The Forestry Commission said the Mutuputupu tree can only be found in the Ngundu area.
“The Ngundu area is the only known natural habitat in Zimbabwe for B. jalbertii and it is unfortunate that the water body at Tokwe Mukorsi may have submerged some of the trees even though others can be found in the Nyoni Hills which include the Banga Irrigation Scheme,” the Forestry Commission said.
However, interventions are being made by the commission to ensure that the tree species does not become extinct.
“There had not been an active conservation programme on this indigenous tree probably because of resource constraints, but the Forestry Commission has embarked on intervention measures to ensure that the indigenous tree is not extinct,” said one forester who refused to be named.
“We began last year with a massive seed collection in the valleys of the Tokwe Mukorsi dam and established a gene bank in the eastern highlands.
“A suitable site has been identified on the rocky outcrops at Nyamukwarara with almost the similar altitude to Nyoni Hills.
“A gene bank of close to 300 seedlings is currently growing well and we are hoping to do a replica in the various research stations across the country.”
The forester disclosed that this initiative is expected to go a long way in ensuring the survival of the threatened species.
“Through this work, Forestry Commission is contributing positively towards the conservation of threatened tree species,” he said.
“The project is being conducted under the theme, ‘Methods for conservation and sustainable management of genetic resources of important tree species’.
“This work is likely to have a significant impact on forest genetic resources and forest biodiversity conservation as it is focusing on a rare and threatened species whose importance in the ecosystem cannot be overemphasised.”
The Mutuputupu tree is not the only tree that falls under the IUCN red data list with trees such as the warburgia salutaris (pepper bark tree) found in Chipinge and the milicia excelsa (African teak) found in Gonarezhou also under threat.
Zimbabwe currently has a number of indigenous trees which are currently on the IUCN red data list whose threat categories range from near threatened to endangered.
Experts opine that developmental activities have to take into account environmental issues to ensure that current benefits from development do not compromise the future.