Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe Essay Example

Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe Paper It as a long history of biodiversity preservation, through the national parks, forest reserves and innovative community-based sustainable-use schemes such as CAMPFIRE. Nevertheless, the natural resources are under pressure from a growing population with limited economic alternatives. Land quality Zombie has the greatest fraction of its land area in good quality agricultural land. The economy of Zombie has a large agricultural component, and the majority of people are dependent on the land. The distribution of people and productive agricultural resources is uneven, leading to problems of land degradation where large numbers of people and vivisect are concentrated on marginal lands. Freshwater resources The Zambia River in the north is one of the largest rivers in Africa, but does not currently supply water to the rest of the country, which is water-scarce in most parts. The geology is generally not conducive to large groundwater supplies. Climate change Like the rest of southern Africa, Zombie is strongly influenced by fluctuations in rainfall. An improvement in the water balance as a result of climate change would be a great benefit; increase water stress, on the other hand, would be a substantial development challenge. Zombie environmental problems like erosion of its agricultural lands and deforestation. We will write a custom essay sample on Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer By 1 992, deforestation was progressing at the rate of ha per year, or about 1. 5% of the nation’s forestland. The confinement of large segments of the population to relatively unproductive lands before independence put severe pressure on these lands, a substantial portion of which may have been irreversibly damaged. Zombie’s air is polluted by vehicle and industrial emissions, while water pollution results from mining and the use of fertilizers. Zombie’s cities produce 0. 5 million tons of solid waste per year and a good amount ends up in the rivers. The nation has been estimated to have the highest EDT concentrations in the world in its agricultural produce. In 2001 , nine of the nation’s mammal species and nine bird species were endangered, as well as 73 types Of plants. Zombie has about half of the world’s population of black rhinoceroses, an endangered species. Rare or threatened species include the cape vulture, black-cheeked lovebird, and brown hyena. For protection, the government has adopted a policy of shooting poachers on sight. Africans freshwater supply is almost stretched to its limit. Less than 10% of Africans rainfall is available as reface water, one of the lowest conversion ratios in the world. The country’s groundwater resources are equally limited. Despite regulations of river waters, in many catchments the need for water exceeds the supply and quality is often below standards. Given the projected growth in population and economic development, Africa faces tough times in meeting water demands in the decades ahead. The shortfall in freshwater is tied to growing demands, but also to other issues such as loss of natural habitat and potentially climate change. Destruction of natural habitats the land of the fine-leaved plants†, is one of the world’s most impressive botanical kingdoms – a mind-boggling variety of plants that is richer than any other comparable sized area in Africa. An estimated 8,500 species of vascular plants, of which 70% are endemic, are reported here. But because the area has been heavily settled for several centuries, large swathes of natural vegetation, particularly in the lowlands, have been cleared for agriculture and urban development. Similar problems face the Iamb-Karol-Achieved desert, a very distinctive and flirtatiously rich excretion with highly diverse endemic plant immunities. Here, poor land management, conversion of marginal lands for cultivation, dam construction, mining, and illegal extraction of selected succulents for black market trade, pose a suite of threats. Over fishing along the Coast, there is persistent over harvesting of many commercially valuable species and products such as pilchard, anchovy and rock lobster. Further at sea, some fish stocks have been over-harvested, and several species face local extinction. These dangerous trends follow improvements of fishing methods, increase in fishing effort and the establishment of fishing industries. Introduction of exotic species Africans natural habitats are being colonized by alien species at great rates. Introduced species, particularly North American game fishes such as largemouth bass and smoothly bass, are pushing out indigenous species and threaten to lead some of them to extinction. Pollution a high level of traffic associated with crude oil transport from the Arabian Gulf has resulted in contamination from tankers’ spills and discharge of polluted ballast waters. A strategy that is having impact on environment is the Wildlife Environment Zombie has fought for the conservation and protection of Zombie’s environment. WEEK has been on the forefront of conservation, lobbying for the establishment of National Parks and protected areas, assisting in the management of these, and spreading knowledge on conservation and environmental issues through our magazine, publications, and different environmental education projects. To encourage and assist all people Of Zombie to understand the importance of wildlife and the environment and to conserve Zombie’s natural resources for the well being of current and future generations and to ensure that the utilization of these natural resources is fair and sustainable. But Zombie is confronted by critical environmental and ecological problems. This has resulted in environmental degradation, declining population of endangered species, destruction of indigenous forest and wildlife habitats, soil erosion, pollution in all its forms, and ruthless exploitation of our natural resources for short-term profit. Partnership for Environmental Law Education is another strategy that’s s working to help prepare for a more sustainable future. Over the past three years, the Zombie Environmental Law Association in collaboration with Environment Africa and the Environmental Management Agency entered into partnership to educate rural and urban communities about their en vironmental rights and duties. Rural district councils, grassroots organizations, environmental actions groups, traditional leaders and government deep retests were among the groups that were trained. The partnership is driven by the need to address the main impediments to environmental justice, which are poverty and lack of knowledge. At the local level, knowledge about available rights and capacities to claim them are Often limited. It is therefore, the purpose of this project to lid the capacity of communities and locally based organizations to claim those rights and to promote the building of local institutions that can lead to the opening up of opportunities for improved access to natural resources, good health and improved livelihoods. Therefore, environmental law education provides the avenue for people to acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to act within their communities in an environmentally responsible way. To date, ZEAL Environment Africa and the Environmental Management Agency held close to fifteen joint workshops by pooling resources together. The partnership was a way of avoiding the duplication of work by the three organizations. In practice, ZEAL provides the legal advice while Environment Africa brings its experience and contacts with community groups. The Environmental Management Agency as a government agency brings the government perspective and commitment to natural resources management. Through this partnership, ZEAL and Environment Africa are in a better position to make contributions to legal reforms and to influence policy decisions on natural resources management and environmental protection. Tell, ZEAL has been reviewing draft regulations on waste management and indigenous knowledge systems that are being formulated by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The regulations seek to complement the Environmental Management Act. Another key output of the partnership is the formation of Environment Committees and Sub-Committee at the district level in the ten provinces of Zombie. Hare has witnessed an upsurge in the number of residents forming community based groups to spearhead waste collection efforts. These community groups are formed by people with a passion for the environment and who also want to earn a living from waste recycling and reuse. The formation of waste management groups is also partly due to the increase in the uncollected waste that has been accumulating around the City. However, the groups are just loose groups of individuals especially the youth which do not exist as legal entities. They have been finding it difficult to operate without registration as companies or common law trusts. Through workshops and seminars, the Zombie Environmental Law Association received requests from all the groups for legal assistance. Most of the requests are for their registration either as companies or trusts. ZEAL has agreed with Environment Africa and Practical Action to irk on a plan of action that will result in the registration of the groups. It is noteworthy that the efforts of these groups are a result of sustained education programmers on waste management and environmental protection around Hare by the civil society. Therefore, the formation of the waste management enterprises is one way of implementing the principles of environmental management contained in the Environmental Management Act and other pieces of legislation. The benefits of registration are that the groups can effectively engage the private sector and request for assistance as legal entity with traceable references.