SOETZim July 2021 Issue

SOETzim

OUR ENVIRONMENT OUR CONCERN

Monthly Edition ISSUE NUMBER 2

J U L Y

2 0 2 1

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & WETLANDS CONSERVATION IN HARARE — Page 4 Energy and Economic security in Zimbabwe P2

STORY BY VIVIA

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & WETLANDS CONSERVATION IN HARARE P4

Deforestation a life killer P8

Fact Zone: Otters P9

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OUR ENVIRONMENT OUR CONCERN

Monthly Edition PAGE 2

Energy and Economic security in Zimbabwe ARTICLE BY: VIVIAN NHEYA

Zimbabwe was one of the first countries to sign and endorse the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The country indorsed the Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol in 2016 as well as signing of the Paris Agreement. Zimbabwe as a country is STORY BY VIVIA

making tremendous efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change by ensuring that its energy sector is working in compliance with the signed agreements. Zimbabwe put forward a National Renewable Energy policy in 2019. The policy aims to have 16.5% of the total generation capacity (exclusive of hydro) from renewable sources by 2025. This increases to 25.6 by 2030.These are the goals Zimbabwe presented to the UNFCCC and they are promoted in the climate policy. Already the Zimbabwean Government and other relevant authorities have already engaged in the use of renewable energy most focus being on solar energy.

Zimbabwe like any other country is engaging in mitigation efforts as a way to curb the impacts of climate change. Zimbabwe is located in Southern Africa and the country contributes less than 0.05% of global emissions making it a lower emitter yet the country suffers more from the impacts of climate change. Zimbabwe’s economy is likely to grow resulting in a possible increase in Greenhouse gas emissions therefore the need to shift to renewable energy use.

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Energy and Economic Security in Zimbabwe PAGE 3

Article by: Vivian Nheya

Key mitigation option in the energy sector. The clean energy portfolio of Zimbabwe.

The Government of Zimbabwe has committed to advancing the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) agenda in the country and seeks to achieve the three SE4ALL objectives, mainly the universal energy access, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. This will guarantee that each household and industrial sector will receive an appropriate supply of energy supplied in a sustainable, efficient and cost-effective way.

Zimbabwe was one of the first countries to sign and indorse the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the STORY BY VIVIA

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The country indorsed the Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol in 2016 as well as signing of the Paris Agreement. Zimbabwe as a country is making tremendous efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change by ensuring that its energy sector is working in compliance with the signed agreements.

Zimbabwe put forward a National Renewable Energy policy in 2019.

The policy aims to have 16.5% of the total generation capacity (exclusive of hydro) from renewable sources by 2025 . This increases to 25.6 by 2030.These are the goals Zimbabwe presented to the UNFCCC and they are promoted in the climate policy. Already the Zimbabwean Government and other relevant authorities have already engaged in the use of renewable energy most focus being on solar energy.

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PAGE 4

In

Conclusion,

Re-

mate change mitiga-

ing economic growth

newable energy is im-

tion, energy use and

at

portant in economic

economic

achieving sustainable

growth as well as miti-

ment to proceed in

gating climate change

synergy rather than in

because

opposition.

renewable

develop-

the

same

time

development..

Meaning

energy creates little

by adopting renewable

greenhouse gas emis-

energy we are able to

sions. The renewable

mitigate

energy will allow cli-

change without affect-

climate

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & WETLANDS CONSERVATION IN HARARE “Sustainable development is the idea that human societies must live and meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Specifically, sustainable development is a way of organizing society so that it can exist in the long term.

Urban developments, if designed with green infrastructure and environmental sensitivity at their heart, can deliver numerous financial, en-

ARTICLE BY: CHARLES MABIKA

vironmental and socio-cultural benefits.

There is a growing body of evidence that integrated urban planning can enable densification and agglomeration and at the same time reduce per-capita resource use (UN-Habitat, 2012 in Ramsar 2013).

Urban developments, if designed with green infrastructure and environmental sensitivity at their heart, can deliver numerous financial, benefits.

The ecosystem services provided by wetlands and green infrastructure in general, are often undervalued (and even ignored) during the planning and design stages for urban developments.

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MONTHLY

PAGE 5

EDITION

WETLANDS REMAIN A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT VICTIM IN CITIES

The City of Harare is located in the Upper Manyame Catchment Basin, which is a wetland ecosystem that provides a plethora of essential and valuable services to the residents and rate payers of Harare.

The wetland ecosystem is an extensive single natural ecological system that forms the primary water catchment area for the Upper Manyame Catchment Basin that feed into the major raw water sources for the City of Harare and its environs (i.e. Harava)

Wetlands are defined as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water,

whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters” (Ramsar, 2018).

Although wetlands are crucial for providing important ecosystem services such as food provision, protecting us from flooding, providing clean water and storing carbon they have traditionally

been undervalued, which has resulted in widespread loss and degradation. This has led to a loss in the services that maintain our health and wellbeing and also a loss in biodiversity.

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ARTICLE BY: CHARLES MABIKA

PAGE 6

ROLE OF RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL LAWS IN FORESTRY CONSERVATION. The reason why our forests were in good shape from times in antiquity until recent decades was mainly because: our ancestors had set some laws that helped in conservation of forests and their species. These mechanisms included but were

Article by: Solomon not limited to religious and cultural laws, totems, taboos and even methods of Chimange agriculture. These simple methods taught everyone that it does not need a special type of education for a community to be able to conserve it's forests but it just needs a willing heart and spirit. There is a lot to say about ways in which our ancestors conserved their forests .Everyone will be able to learn from the nuggets

left by our ancestors and at least start to conserve the forests.

It is plausible to argue that, religious and cultural laws had an environmental focus in the same way they had social and economic focuses. Sacred forests like Ndambakurimwa, Dondoshava and many others including the legendary Gwindingwi were symbols of religious prowess and they were believed to be inhabited

by spirit mediums of the land. As such sacred lands and species either of the flora and the fauna were carefully protected, no one was allowed to temper with these sacred lands. Many myths and telltale symbolism existed to guard individuals from playing around with the lands. This helped in maintaining the vigor and beauty of our motherland as well as maintaining the balance of nature. No wonder why our ancestors lived in societies with myriads of species some of them we do not even know today.

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PAGE 7

ROLE OF RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL LAWS IN FORESTRY CONSERVATION. How totems helped in Forestry Conservation.

Adding more to the above, our ancestors also used totems as a mechanism of conserving the forests. This is seen in cultural laws associated with totems. There is no need to explain the meaning of totem because in as much

Article by: Solomon Chimange

as I know most of us ha e totems. These totems were associated with certain territories and species. Individuals sharing that totem were obliged to protect the object that was the symbol of their totem as well as the territory associated with the totem. For instance the Mhofu clan were the protectors of elands and the Uhera forests where they originated, the Dziva clan pro-

tected the rivers and their species whilst the Shumba clan were responsible for the conservation of lions and the Gwindingwi forest. The list could go on and on.

Conclusion From the panoramic view above we see to it that our ancestors respected

and conserved the environment. They cherished and made sure that forests were taken care of. What went wrong? Who bewitched the present day generation? Can't we learn from our ancestors and begin to conserve forest?

Indeed there is much work to be done. Let's save that for another day.

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PAGE 8 MONTHLY EDITION

DEFORESTATION A LIFE KILLER

Each component within the

minerals etc. There exists

here in Zimbabwe. Our economy is centrally

natural environment has a

interdependence between

Agro driven. We need to consume good food

positive role to play towards

the two as they all work

for us to be healthy and where does that come

the well being of every fea-

together

existence

from? You would concur with me that its the

ture be it biotic or abiotic.

whether directly or indi-

soil! My next question is can seeds grow

Biotic and abiotic compo-

rectly..

without water? Absolutely no, hence the

nents make up the ecosys-

Both our health and our

proverb ‘water is life’ and I’m sure we have

economic profitability all

all heard that at some point and it is true. But,

depend somehow on our

have you ever asked yourself where the water

agriculture

comes from?

tem . Biotic components include humans, plants, animals etc and abiotic components include water, soil ,

in

especially

Water is a product of what science calls the water cycle which is a process that incorporates different components to play their different roles for it to yield the maximum results.

We are all part of this process. During this process the sun absorbs water from different environmental features like water bodies, by evaporation and trees by transpiration which is a process by which trees lose water through leaves. When the water is absorbed it forms in the clouds. This continues to happen until a point at which the clouds can no longer absorb any water [i.e. saturation]. At this stage, the rains will be ready to fall and we have water! The cycle recites

again and again. However it might not yield the same results due to some controllable variables. As I mentioned above various features play unique roles in the process. If anything that plays a role in the water cycle is negatively impacted then we will be disadvantaged because the outcome will also be negatively affected.

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ARTICLE BY: PRESSION ZHOU

Land or Water?

PAGE 09

Otters are special and rare as they are semi-

What are otters?

aquatic. But what does that mean? It is a fancy way of saying that they live both on

Otters are MAMMALS but what exactly does that mean? Mammals are different from other animals because: They have fur, they give birth to live young, they feed their young milk and they have warm blood.

land and in water. Otters spend time swimming and fishing as well as running along the land. Life in these environments can be tough but luckily otters are perfectly

adapted to breathe, use their senses, move quickly and keep warm on both land and in water!

FACT ZONE BY: INTERNATIONAL OTTER SURVIVAL FUND Article by: International Otter Survival Fund

So what makes an otter different and able to survive both on land and in water?

1.

Some marine mammals, such as whales and seals, have a thick layer of fat called blubber to keep them warm. But for an otter, this would be too heavy and they wouldn’t be able to move quickly on land. So, otters have two layers of fur. An outer layer which is waterproof and an inner layer that keeps them warm. An otter’s fur is so important that every time they come out of salt water they must clean it in freshwater to keep it at its best!

2.

Otters have webbed feet to help them swim quicker and more efficiently in the water.

It’s like when we close our fingers to swim, but otters have that all the time

3.

Otters have a strong and large tail. This acts like a rudder when they are swimming and helps them steer.

4.

Otters are very streamlined. This helps them move easily through water and on land.

5.

An otter’s ears, eyes and nose are all in line. This means that they can stay low in the water but are able to hear, see and smell everything.

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Why are Otters special?

PAGE 10

Otters are carnivores that occupy the top of the food chain. All animals are linked by what is called the food chain. Everything in the food chain eats and gains

energy

something

from

below

it.

Did you know? Sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal in the world. They have 150,000 hairs per cm2 . That’s like having 150,000 hairs in the area the size of your finger nail!

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SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT TRUST SOETzim Our Environment our concern SOET is a publication that promotes a green culture within Zimbabwean homes,

schools, work places and everyday lives. It aims to disseminate information about our environment, raising awareness on how to maintain our beautiful environment.

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PAGE 12

KEY PERSONAL

EDITOR: Vivian Nheya PROJECT COORDINATOR: Tanaka N.M Marewangepo.

DESIGN AND LAY OUT: Tanaka N.M Marewangepo & Tendai Maregere PROGRAMMES DIRECTOR: Edwin Moyo EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Oswald Chishanga

DISCLAIMER The information, opinions and views set out in this journal are those of the author (s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT TRUST or

any of their partners. Rights to the photographs and articles remain with the photographers and the authors respectively.

While all care has been taken during proofing, errors and omissions may slip through and we sincerely apologies While all care has been taken during proofing, errors and omissions may we sincerely apologies.

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