by Tawanda Musariri
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe today worked in synergy to plant 200 fruit trees in Epworth, concentrating their efforts around the balancing rocks in the sprawling peri-urban township. The rocks are a national monument that is indentified with the country’s heritage and has been a prime feature on the country’s bank notes and other important national brands. The same rocks were adapted as the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s corporate logo.
The event was preceded by a road show in the neighbourhood which was designed to sensitize the community for the importance of trees to the environment and to the tourism sector.
In his keynote address, head for corporate affairs at the ZTA Mr Godfrey Koti said, “We are all aware that trees are an important resource in our natural ecosystem with many benefits. The list of benefits is long to just point out a few, they; “represent a vast reservoir of genetic resources and bio-diversity; provide important habitats for all wildlife, but in particular for threatened and endangered forest species; guarantee supplies of non-wood products such as pharmaceuticals which have enormous export potential. The above benefits are by no means exhaustive, but they do the role that trees and woody vegetation play in our day-to-day lives.
“Forest areas guarantee Zimbabwe’s essential water supplies, and are vital in regulating rainfall and stream flow, which on the other hand are important for agricultural production and power generation. However, the destruction of forests, coupled with excessive settlement and other human activities all lead to one result; uncontrolled severe soil erosion, high sediment load and subsequent siltation of hydroelectric dams and, decreased river flow.”
Koti encouraged communities to develop a culture of planting, caring for and preserving trees saying they served both a natural and economic purpose. He said trees can play as a tourist attraction which in turn earns the country earnings from that industry.
Zimbabwe set the first Saturday of December every year as the national tree planting day, an occasion that is led by the President who plants a tree yearly to kick start the national effort.
