Eminently Eve
Deforestation is a rampant problem in Zimbabwe. Put simply, it is the act of cutting down trees. According to the Zimbabwe Forestry Commission, the country loses about 815’450 acres of land each year to deforestation, over 60 million grown, matured trees. In 2020, the Commission set a target of planting 20 million trees by the end of year, and according to reports, 16 million trees were planted. The new target for 2021 was 25 million trees and as of September 2021, the Director General of the Forestry Commission, Mr Marufu, said that 12 million trees had been planted. In addition to these disproportionate figures, while it takes a few minutes or hours to cut down a tree (depending on the tool being used), it takes 20+ years for that single tree to start reaching the age of maturity. Of course whenever these subjects come up, it does sound like it’s other people’s problems which do not affect you directly. However, that could not be further from the truth. Below are 5 results of deforestation with devastating effects on you directly.
1. More frequent and destructive cyclones plus increased flooding.
Not long ago we suffered at the hands of cyclone Idai. Barely 3 years later (in January 2022) we were faced again with cyclone Ana & we are told to expect cyclone Batsirai this month of February (2022). When we cut down trees, we basically leave the land open which gives cyclones perfect conditions to persist until they cause devastating effects to homes, properties, crops, powerlines and many others. The absence of trees also eliminates any form of resistance to the vicious water flowing due to the heavy rains. It also eliminates the chance for the water slowing down enough to infiltrate the soil thereby causing severe flooding.
2. Drying up of rivers, dams, lakes & shortage of borehole water.
A healthy forest stores water in its leaves, stems, and flowers. Of all the water they store, they only utilise less than 10%. Over 90% of that water is then released slowly and systematically into the atmosphere as water vapour (a process known as transpiration). Without water vapour, clouds can not form, hence there won’t be any rainfall. Trees therefore help in regulating rainfall patterns and ensuring that rain actually comes. They also make sure that perennial rivers (rivers which have a flow of water throughout the year during years of “normal” rainfall) have enough flow of water. Deforestation is one of the biggest contributors to the irregular rainfall patterns being experienced recently. Trees also prevent runoff thereby allowing time for water to infiltrate the soil for storage. It is this water stored “underground” that we then utilise via boreholes. The absence of trees therefore disturbs this system causing lower quantities of “underground” water and surface water for boreholes and rivers respectively.
3. Frequent droughts
As explained above, rainfall takes place when evapotranspiration has occurred. Evapotranspiration is the process whereby water is released from leaves, stems, flowers and the environment into the atmosphere as water vapour. As soon as this water vapour becomes heavy in the air, it forms clouds and then falls as rain. Severe deforestation therefore reduces or eliminates evapotranspiration in that specific deforested area, thereby reducing the frequency and quantity of rain that can be expected in that particular area. Once that happens, droughts then become the norm as being currently experienced in most parts of the country.
4. Low agricultural yields at community level.
In the field of Agriculture, trees maintain the fertility of soil by keeping the top fertile soil protected. As explained above, they also increase and stabilise rainfall patterns at community level by ensuring that evapotranspiration continues to happen. Removal of trees only awards people one “successful” harvesting season, then after the rains, the top fertile soil gets washed off. Many communities are not able to afford chemical fertilisers to try and experience more fruitful seasons. This is highly detrimental especially in a country like ours where the majority of people are dependent on agriculture for survival.
5. Increased poverty at community level due to overexploitation of vegetation that has been happening since the 1990s
While the excuse for deforestation is to try and curb poverty, in reality, deforestation actually increases poverty. According to the Zimbabwe Forestry Commission statistics shared above, the rate of tree poaching is way higher than the rate of natural renewal or tree planting intervention. Therefore, in many communities trees are no longer available. People are now walking long distances to get to the next forest where trees can be found. There is no clearer sign than this that we are running out of trees and combined with the other agricultural benefits of having trees around, poverty rates are only on the rise.
Do feel free to add more ways that deforestation is affecting us in the comment section below or on Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin. It is my hope that these points will give us something to discuss as communities and evaluate our choice of opting for deforestation and also waiting only on the Forestry Commission to plant trees.
Remember to always have a little intimacy in your life & as always I’m talking about Intimacy With Nature 😊
