Zimbabwe’s Renowned Sustainable Development Consultant, Brazier Calls For Preservation Of Trees

  Anna Brazier,a renowned Sustainable Development Consultant working in Zimbabwe recently urged participants at a climate justice fair held in Harare,Zimbabwe by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung-Zimbabwe  (FES) on 18 June,2024 to prioritize the preservation of trees against the planting of trees.

 The fair featrured a panel discussion on climate change reality for Zimbabwe focusing on perpectives on adaptation,resilience and financing and was attended by a number of organizations including youth activists working in the climate change sector.

 The fair was also conducted in conjusction with Moto Republik the first creative hub in Zimbabwe.

Moto Republik was created to respond to the need for space where young people could meet, collaborate and come up with big ideas to transform Zimbabwe.

 The FES office in Zimbabwe supports since more than 40 years progressive actors in trade unions, youth and women’s organisation as well as independent media organisations and cooperates with political institutions such as  Parliament, Ministries and other state institutions.

 Partners and activities in Zimbabwe are linked to the regional and international networks, with an emphasis on socio-ecological transformation, gender justice and democratisation.

  Asked on the rationale of preserving trees versus planting trees following her presentation at the panel discussion,Brazier said that as plants grow they absorb carbon dioxide,a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere to use in photosynthesis.

 'The carbon from the carbon dioxide becomes part of the plant tissues. Trees live longer,for decades or centuries and are very slow growing compared to other plants. As they grow bigger they store more and more carbon dioxide,' Brazier said.

  She said that indigenous trees are very slow growing compared to exotic trees so they store even more carbon than exotics.

  She added that this makes trees excellent stores of carbon and is a major reason why forest preservation is an important part of climate change mitigation.

  Brazier says that when a tree is cut down and the wood is used the carbon stored in the tissues of the tree begins to be released. She adds that if the wood is burned all the carbon that the tree has stored in its life is released instantly back into the atmosphere.

  According to her,a young tree planted from seed only absorbs a tiny amount of carbon dioxide. She says that the amount increases as it grows, but it will take decades or centuries before the tree absorbs as much as an adult tree.

 'So to replace the carbon storing abilities from an adult tree would mean you would need to plant hundreds or thousands of tree seeds to make up for chopping down one adult tree,' Brazier says.

  She emphasises that tree planting  has many disadvantages because growing trees from seed is very inefficient.

   She supports her assertion by saying that the survival rate of a tree grown from seed is very low, between 10 - 20% for most indigenous species.

  Brazier said that when one  plants  a young tree it needs to be watered and protected for many years before it can survive on its own.

 She adds that for these reasons there is need to encourage Zimbabweans to manage their forests rather than chop down whole trees and plant new ones.

  'The best way to manage forests is to avoid removing all trees from fields. Farmers should be encouraged to leave some trees in fields and prune them so that they do not compete with crops. Using a method which is called farmer managed natural regeneration' Brazier said.

  She adds that farmers can get other benefits from trees in fields.

  She says that scientists have shown that tree roots can raise the water table benefitting crops planted around the trees.

  'Leguminous trees, such as acacias also benefit crops by providing nitrogen. Trees that are pruned can still provide households with firewood while remaining alive and continuing to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere," says Brazier.

 Asked on her option for total banning of tobacco farming in Zimbabwe,Brazier said that Zimbabwe is a food insecure country.

  She says that the country is  suffering from food shortages and it makes no sense to encourage smallholder farmers to plant tobacco which cannot be eaten.

  'Farmers need to be planting food crops so that we become food secure. Tobacco is very bad from the environment. Apart from the deforestation involved in clearing fields for the crop and fuel for curing the tobacco, the crop requires fertilizers and pesticides which are bad for human health and the environment,' she said.

  She also adds that  smallholder farmers growing tobacco are at a huge risk of exploitation from tobacco companies and are at the mercy of international tobacco price fluctuations which often are not in their favour.

  Brazier says that this pushes farmers into debt and increases poverty, according to the attached  2020 study).

  She adds that in addition, handling and processing tobacco poses serious health risks to farmers and their families.

Brazier says that tobacco is also a highly labour intensive crop meaning that women and children are usually roped in to cultivation and processing threatening their health and well being.

 She adds that the crop is an addictive poisonous drug that kills users and should not be a major part of Zimbabwe's economy

  'It is far much  better to switch to food crops such as groundnuts, rounduts, sesame, oil seeds and sorghum. The government should support this transition now instead of encouraging more smallholder farmers to take up tobacco,' Brazier said.

 She added that in terms of fuel, Zimbabwe needs to attract more investment in private companies to deliver energy via renewables particularly solar, so that the country  can transition away from coal.

  Brazier however, said that  our emissions are so tiny in comparison to most developed countries and it is not a priority and can only be done with support from developed nations.

  Commenting on charcoal production and use  which has become rife in many households and small enterprises in the country,Brazier said that it is  is illegal and a ban should be enforced by local authorities in Zimbabwe.

 She says that people using wood for fuel should be encouraged to coppice trees rather than cut down the whole tree.

 'Energy saving stoves should be designed and developed in participation with the users as the stoves that are being rolled out are inappropriate substitutes for an ordinary fire,' Brazier said.

  Charcoal production has become rife in rural and urban areas of Zimbabwe and is contributing to massive deforestation.Charcoal is mostly used by mostly energy starved communities and a trend is developing where trees in rural areas are being cut down for charcoal production which is being transported to urban areas for sale.

 The trend this season has been worsened by the El Nino induced drought and desperate rural farmers who found it hard to salvage production in their fields are now turning into charcoal trade to make ends meet.  The responsible authorities who should monitor the decimation of forests seem to be turning a blind eye and reports of corruption in the charcoal trade chain have been noticed