Business Reporter
STAKEHOLDERS in the forestry sector want more say in forest management, inventories and protection incentives, findings of a consultative process into the development of the National Forestry Policy have shown. Government is in the process of developing a National Forestry Policy, a step towards aligning Zimbabwe’s forest legislation to the new and emerging issues and concepts on sustainable management of forests that are espoused in the three Rio environmental conventions.
The initiative is also in sync with provisions of the SADC Protocol on Forestry one of whose objectives is to promote the development, conservation, sustainable management and utilisation of all types of forests and trees.
Forestry Commission deputy general manager Abedinigo Marufu said consultations into the development of the National Forestry Policy showed that players in the sector want more participation in forestry issues while others want more incentives for tree planting and conservation to halt the depletion of forests.
Currently, apart from the loss of benefits associated with the ecosystem, recreation and tourism, the country is losing more than $600 million annually though the decimation of forests.
“Manufactures and saw millers feel there should be strict enforcement of laws, and capitalisation of their businesses with the help of Government. Rural communities want more involvement in tree planting especially orchards and more incentives for tree planting and conservation,” said Mr Marufu.
“The softwood industry wants harmonisation of the laws (that govern forestry) and aligning with the Constitution, need forest inventories and more education and awareness and forest protection incentives, promotion of alternative energy such as solar energy,” he said.
Representatives of the Indigenous Hardwood Timber Industry want to participate in forest management, transparency, planting of high value species, want to adopt the Campfire Model on management of forest resources. This came out of a stakeholders meeting conducted by the Forestry Commission. Seven meetings were held during the consultative process was completed.
Stakeholders who were engaged include the Indigenous Hardwood Timber Industry, Indigenous Hardwood Timber Communities, Rural Communities in Masvingo, Manicaland, Midlands and Matabeleland South, the Softwood Industry, the tobacco growing communities in Mashonaland East, Central, and West, the Manufactures, Saw-millers and the tobacco industry.
“The consultants are drafting the policy now to come up with a zero draft. We expect the process to be through by October at the latest for launching of the policy by the President (Mugabe) during National Tree Planting Day in December,” said Mr Marufu.
Key issues varied from stakeholder to stakeholder with traditional leaders agitating for more authority over all forest resources in their areas.