GOVERNMENT is crafting a national policy to promote community participation in forest management.
Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said sustainable utilisation of forest resources as guided by the Constitution might benefit and change lives of communities in rural areas.
“The National Forestry Policy will ensure that forests contribute effectively to national development, environmental protection, climate change mitigation, sustainable forest management, and benefit sharing of proceeds from the forests,” said Mutsvangwa during a post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday.
“The future of forests in Zimbabwe depends on the country’s ability to sustainably manage them. As such, it is pertinent that the country either maintains or increases areas under sustainable forest management.”
She added: “The policy further seeks to support technology transfer, innovation and training and research in valuation of the contribution of forest resources to ecosystems; and to provide an enabling devolution framework for meaningful participation of local communities and other stakeholders in sustainable forest management and benefit-sharing.” Mutsvangwa said the policy also sought to improve the welfare of rural communities through community-based natural resources management such as the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources and community share ownership trusts.
“The policy will help curtail the steep decline in both ecological and economic productivity in the forestry sector due to over exploitation and degradation of forests. The national rate of deforestation accelerated from 100 000 hectares per year in the 1990s to over 330 000 hectares per year between 2000 and 2010,” she said.
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