veld fires in history

In Zimbabwe, the current fire management can be traced to the arrival of the white settlers (1890-1950). Regulations and legislation put in place to protect natural resources included the Natural Resources Act (No. 9) of 1941 and The Native Land Husbandry Act of 1951 (Stocking 1978). The Natural Resources Board was formed to implement fire prevention policies in the commercial and communal farming areas, and protected forests and nature reserves. At farm level, farmers were responsible for establishing fire guards before the start of the dry season, which coincides with the fire season. In addition, most commercial farms were fenced to restrict human movement, thereby controlling veld fires associated with hunting and honey harvesting.

The current fire protection system in Zimbabwe was developed in the 1960s and is based on early detection, quick reaction and suppression (Mudekwe 2007). The present system was put in place after realizing that it is difficult to prevent veld fires, but strategies that aim at mitigating the negative effects of wild fires were more sustainable. This structure was maintained for 20 years after independence, till the year 2000, when the land reform programme was initiated.

Prior to the land reform programme commercial farmers occupied about 16 million hectares (ha), resettlement farmers 3.6 million ha, small-scale commercial farmers 1.4 million ha and state farms 0.1 million ha. In 2000, the Government initiated a land reform program to acquire 12.4 million ha of the 16 million ha in large-scale agriculture to create two new categories of farming subsectors, namely A1 and A2 farms. A total of 4.1 million ha model A1 farms (average 5 ha), 3.5 million ha model A2 farms (average, 318 ha per farmer) were established under the land reform program. About 16.4 million ha is now communally owned land, and the rest is state land (Scoones et al. 2010). However, of late there has been a massive increase in the incidences of uncontrolled veld fires which have inflicted substantial damage to agricultural land, national parks, indigenous forests, commercial timber plantations, rangelands and communal grazing areas. The recent increase in fire incidences has been attributed to newly resettled smallholder farmers (EMA 2011; Phiri et al. 2011).

Regardless of the enactment of several Acts that aimed at preventing fires such the Environmental Management Act (CAP 20:27) of 2007, The Parks and Wildlife Act (CAP 20:14) of 1996 and Forest Act (CAP 19:05) of 1996 and the Traditional Leaders Act of 1998, veld fires remain a perennial problem. Studies by Scholes & Andreae (2000) and a report by Chenje et al. (1998) suggested that burning is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gases during the dry season in Zimbabwe and in the region. Uncontrolled fires are a threat to the bio-physical, social and economic environment because of their trail of destruction and direct impact on all sectors of the economy. Veld fires have destroyed approximately a million ha annually in Zimbabwe in each of the past 4 years. Besides the loss of biodiversity and economic losses, veld fires also reduce the aesthetic value of the land. Thus, there is need for a thorough understanding of the causes, socio-economic, environmental impacts and management of veld fires. Unfortunately, besides institutional reports (e.g., Judge 1975; WWF 2001; Mudekwe 2007; Nkomo & Sassi 2009; Phiri et al. 2011), there are few scientific studies (e.g., Furley et al. 2008) conducted on fire in Zimbabwe.

impact of veld fires in ziim

Veld fires are a common phenomenon in the predominantly savanna ecosystems of Zimbabwe. Until now no studies have investigated the causes, and socio-economic and environmental impacts of veld fires in Zimbabwe. Yet such information is crucial for planning and implementation of fire prevention and control practices. The present study uses multiple sources of information including review of published literature, reports from regulatory agencies, informal interviews and field observations to address the following objectives; (1) to identify the key causes of veld fires in Zimbabwe, (2) to investigate the socio-economic and environmental impacts of veld fires, (3) to highlight management practices for the control of veld fires and (4) to identify research gaps on causes and management of veld fires in Zimbabwe. This review showed that the main causes of veld fires are anthropogenic. The impacts of fires are multifaceted and are a threat to the bio-physical, social and economic environment because of their trail of destruction and they directly impact all sectors of the economy. Impacts range from loss of livelihoods and income, psychosocial impacts associated with fatalities and family bereavement, loss of biodiversity and disturbance of the hydrological balance. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to prevent veld fires because, besides the negative impacts of veld fires, fire also play an important positive role in many Zimbabwean ecosystems. In view of this, fire management should move away from fire fighting to management practices such as early burning that reduces the negative impact, and enhance the positive effects of veld fires.

Keywords:

Veld fires; Seasonally dry savannas; Biodiversity; Environment; Fire management

results of veld fires

veld fires if they are not controlled can go very far to an extent of leaving people homeless they can be dangerous to an extent that they can take away life..  

effects of veld fires on economy: southern eye

THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has bemoaned the increase in loss of lives and destruction of infrastructure and property by veld fires this year saying this negatively affected the growth of the economy.
NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
OWN CORRESPONDENT
Speaking at a Veld Fire Management Strategies gathering at Woodlands Farm in Matetsi Ward 1 in Hwange district, EMA education officer Mildred Matunga said veld fires affected economic growth by destroying property, infrastructure and human lives.
“According to the 2014 fire statistics 1,6 million hectares were destroyed by veld fires nationwide compared to 1 179 274ha in 2013. Four people perished due to uncontrolled fires in 2013 compared to 12 in 2014.
“Matabeleland North Province lost 125 952,02ha in the 2013 fire season compared to 356 430ha in 2014,” Matunga said.
She said Hwange district was chosen as one of the priority areas in constructing fire guards and educating people about veld fires as it was the most fire prone district in the province.
“Hwange district continues to be the most prone district in the province from 2011 to date with 144 263ha destroyed by fires in the 2014.
“This is due to poaching, land clearing, charcoal making activities, bee smoking and careless throwing of lit cigarette stubs.
“However, there has been a general reduction in veld fire incidences, especially in Matetsi Ward 1, with only two incidences this year due to a positive response by the community during veld fire awareness programmes and clearing of the land,” she said.
Ward 1 councilor Ellias Muzamba thanked EMA and villagers for working together in curbing veld fires this year.
“The community benefits from hunting quotas and proceeds are kept in the custody of the Matetsi Environment Subcommittee.
“The funds are then used for the development of vital infrastructure, such as schools, hunting safari camps and clinics, hence there is an intrinsic motivation for the community to preserve natural resources and protect their area from veld fires,” Muzamba said.
“Wild animals used to cross to Botswana due to veld fires and most of them died trying to escape, but with the help of EMA, our hunting quota yielded good results and we have managed to buy a new tractor with the money, for clearing land in constructing fireguards.
“Moreover, our children did not have schools, but we have built four primary and one secondary school and we are planning to extend our hunting camps,” he said.
Ward 1 has 18 farms comprising 26 villages and 1 096 homesteads.

effects of fires: case study

ChirumanzuEMA/www.here.com/.../zibagwe-rural-district-council-61 deaths
Over a five year period, 61 people died in fires. In one horrific incident, a 13-year-old herd boy was trapped in a veld fire with his cattle at Debshen farm and died trying to escape. That same fire spread into a nearby conservancy reducing 35 elephants and six houses to ashes.
This season has been different in Zibagwe. The district has achieved a record low in the number of major fires, and those that did break out were effectively contained by trained villagers.
Gold panners
Headman Solomon Shumba of Ward 30 Woodrich community, who is the leader of the four groups of fire reaction teams, said the villagers had been taught to prevent fire outbreaks as well as to fight fires. Those who received the training spread the word to others and today everyone in the village is a friend of the environment. “The zeal to protect the environment has been amazing. For example, if a fire incident was to start right now, within a couple of minutes, the area would be thronged by villagers ready to fight the blaze and avert disaster,” said Shumba.
Raphael Gondo, 73, a member of one of the fire-fighting teams, explained that veld fires were largely due to the activities of gold panners - who usually prefer clearing land using fire. Criminals such as cattle rustlers and rapists often do the same in order to easily identify targets. “Fire guards have proved to be particularly useful. They have prevented fires from spreading from one farm or forest area to another. This has been our strength. Team work has also helped especially in alerting each other of the activities of illegal gold panners and other criminals who purposely start fires,” explained Gondo.
While Zibagwe has had a clean record on fire cases, it has not been the same elsewhere.
According to EMA’s provincial planning and monitoring officer, William Berekwa, who is also credited for initiating training of villagers in Zibagwe, almost 100,000 hectares of land have been burned in other areas since July. Only last month, three members of the same family died in Chiodza village, Chirumanzu after they were trapped in a veld fire. The fourth one was severely injured and is still critically ill in Gweru General Hospital. In the Lalapansi district, property worth $11,400 was also lost at one farm after a fire destroyed valuable assets including a tractor and four tonnes of stocked maize.
“We are really grateful and encouraged by the achievement of the people of Zibagwe in preventing and combating fires. They have shown that veld fires can really be stopped in this country. We are planning to honour them with an award and we hope that other districts will follow their example,” Berekwa said.

how to deal with veld fires

Preventing fires on a farm

• Remove branches that could cause power line short circuits and check electrical installations regularly.
• Restrict the use of farm machinery on days when the fire danger is high.
• Take great care when using welding, cutting and grinding equipment.
• Establish firebreaks between your land and roads or railways.
• Adopt safety standards for smoking, burning rubbish and disposal of hot ash.
• Make sure all fires are extinguished properly before leaving – never leave a fire unattended.
• Have your own well-maintained fire fighting equipment on a farm.
• Train your staff in firefighting techniques.

Stages of a veldfire

• Embers and smoke.
• Fire front.
• Final stage.

What you should do when veldfire approaches

• Make decisions early – carry out the planned response, that is, to evacuate or to stay?
• Dress in protective clothing.
• Move livestock to safer locations.
• Listen to radio for news.
• Wet garden and house especially on the side of the approaching fire.
• Plug gutters and fill them with water
• Fill baths, buckets and dust bins with water in case the water supply fails and have mops handy.
• Seal any gaps between doors and floor using wet towels or similar items.
• Close up the house and screen off the windows.
• If you decide to stay, go indoors when the fire arrives and remain there until the fire front has passed.
• Take fire hoses and other fire fighting equipment indoors with you.
• Patrol the house interior including checking the roof cavity and extinguish any small fires immediately.
• Remain vigilant after the fire front has passed.

effects of weather on veld fires

Effect of weather

Lightning-sparked wildfires are frequent occurrences during the dry summer season in Nevada.

A wildfire in Venezuela during a drought

Heat waves, droughts, cyclical climate changes such as El Niño, and regional weather patterns such as high-pressure ridges can increase the risk and alter the behavior of wildfires dramatically. Years of precipitation followed by warm periods can encourage more widespread fires and longer fire seasons. Since the mid-1980s, earlier snowmelt and associated warming has also been associated with an increase in length and severity of the wildfire season in the Western United States.^] However, one individual element does not always cause an increase in wildfire activity. For example, wildfires will not occur during a drought unless accompanied by other factors, such as lightning (ignition source) and strong winds (mechanism for rapid spread).

Intensity also increases during daytime hours. Burn rates of smoldering logs are up to five times greater during the day due to lower humidity, increased temperatures, and increased wind speeds. Sunlight warms the ground during the day which creates air currents that travel uphill. At night the land cools, creating air currents that travel downhill. Wildfires are fanned by these winds and often follow the air currents over hills and through valleys. Fires in Europe occur frequently during the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Wildfire suppression operations in the United States revolve around a 24-hour fire day that begins at 10:00 a.m. due to the predictable increase in intensity resulting from the daytime warmth.^[

social impact of veld fires

Acute impacts such as trauma are common among victims who would have secured short-term loans to finance their farm operations. One farmer in Mashonaland West Province lost an entire seed maize crop to veld fires after financing the crop using a $50 000.00 loan from the bank. The farmer did not have insurance against fires. The farmer has not been able to get back into crop production and is still living in debt as the loan has not been paid two years down the line.

At household level, loss of shelter through veld fires has often left families traumatized. People exposed to forest fires may experience grief. Property loss, such as the destruction of a home or damage to personal goods, can be a source of grief. Lacking shelter, these families often sleep in the open with no food supplies and proper water and sanitation facilities and this may result in stress. Feelings of helplessness may arise among people whose lives and property are threatened by veld fires (Machilis 2002). In most African cultures, poor homeless people are often stigmatized, and this can indirectly result in negative social effects and psychosocial wellbeing. For example, loss of livelihoods sources may result in divorces, and complete disintegration of the family unit.

For resource-poor and vulnerable smallholder farmers, loss of assets, housing and crop harvest further exacerbate their already low food and income security, which may usher them deep into a poverty cycle. In addition, resource-poor farmers would lose their other source of food when the forests are destroyed by veld fires. Most of the rural population depends on both non-forest and forest products derived from forest and woodlands and when they are destroyed by fires the economic cost of these fires is substantial.

Exposure to forest fires impacts psychosocial wellbeing in a variety of ways (Evans & Kantrowitz 2002; Fowler 2003) ranging from temporary frustration, to temporary or permanent reduction of health-related quality of life (HRQL), to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) feeling jumpy, avoiding reminders of the fire, nightmares, dreams, and disturbing memories (Maida 1989). However, there are no detailed studies that have evaluated both the social and psychosocial impacts of veld fires on people in the affected areas of Zimbabwe and this calls for further research.

Social impacts of fires

Acute impacts such as trauma are common among victims who would have secured short-term loans to finance their farm operations. One farmer in Mashonaland West Province lost an entire seed maize crop to veld fires after financing the crop using a $50 000.00 loan from the bank. The farmer did not have insurance against fires. The farmer has not been able to get back into crop production and is still living in debt as the loan has not been paid two years down the line.

At household level, loss of shelter through veld fires has often left families traumatized. People exposed to forest fires may experience grief. Property loss, such as the destruction of a home or damage to personal goods, can be a source of grief. Lacking shelter, these families often sleep in the open with no food supplies and proper water and sanitation facilities and this may result in stress. Feelings of helplessness may arise among people whose lives and property are threatened by veld fires (Machilis 2002). In most African cultures, poor homeless people are often stigmatized, and this can indirectly result in negative social effects and psychosocial wellbeing. For example, loss of livelihoods sources may result in divorces, and complete disintegration of the family unit.

For resource-poor and vulnerable smallholder farmers, loss of assets, housing and crop harvest further exacerbate their already low food and income security, which may usher them deep into a poverty cycle. In addition, resource-poor farmers would lose their other source of food when the forests are destroyed by veld fires. Most of the rural population depends on both non-forest and forest products derived from forest and woodlands and when they are destroyed by fires the economic cost of these fires is substantial.

Exposure to forest fires impacts psychosocial wellbeing in a variety of ways (Evans & Kantrowitz 2002; Fowler 2003) ranging from temporary frustration, to temporary or permanent reduction of health-related quality of life (HRQL), to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) feeling jumpy, avoiding reminders of the fire, nightmares, dreams, and disturbing memories (Maida 1989). However, there are no detailed studies that have evaluated both the social and psychosocial impacts of veld fires on people in the affected areas of Zimbabwe and this calls for further research.

Lungile Tshuma Sunday News Correspondent

HWANGE District in Matabeleland North Province has continued to be the most fire prone district in the province since 2011 with statistics revealing that 144 263 hactures of land were destroyed by veld fires this year up from 83 462 ha last year.The revelations were made by Environmental Management Agency (EMA) Matabeleland North Province environmental education officer, Mrs Mildred Matunga, in Hwange last week on Thursday.

Statistics further show that Hwange District has not been consistent in reducing cases of veld fires. In 2009, 62 508 ha were burnt, with 34 418 being burnt in 2010, 58 923 ha of land were lost to veld fires in 2011, in 2012 155 228 ha were burnt and decreased to 83 463 ha in 2013 before rising to 144 262 ha in 2014.

“Hwange District is still leading in the number of veld fire cases in the province. There are no casualties that were recorded in the province in 2013, however, a life was lost in Bubi District in 2014,” she said.

“The agency (EMA) was instrumental in the initial implementation of the fire management project as it assisted with $1 200 to kick-start the project which has since been replicated in all the farms in Ward One and other wards in the district.

“The fireguard construction project will serve as model for the province at large as it has already started realising benefits associated with sustainable veld fire management.”

EMA has introduced fire management projects which are meant to involve the community in veld fire management in line with the country’s endeavour to reduce veld fire incidences.

Mrs Matunga said the establishment of fireguard construction projects in various districts had been necessitated by the fact that a number of veld fires in the country have been attributed to sheer failure by communities to put in place appropriate fire suppression measures around their properties.

Mrs Matunga encouraged communities to put in place fire fighting teams to spearhead fire awareness meetings at village level and start fireguard construction around farm boundaries.

As part of EMA’s educational programmes, the organisation has conducted fire awareness meetings, fireguard meetings, fireguard construction demonstrations, training of fire fighting teams, training of traditional leaders, councillors and environmental sub-committees on veld fires and provided firefighting  equipment which include three high pressure fire knapsack sprays and rakes.

Mrs Matunga also revealed that despite a decrease in veld fires as a result of educational campaigns, EMA has also witnessed an improvement of fireguard construction and fire fighting skills by the community, replication of the fireguard concept as all the farms in the country and also there is an increased awareness on law enforcement as locals are now able to report offenders to law enforcement agencies.

 

Let’s play a part in combating veld fires

August 18, 2013 in Environment

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The problem of veld fires in Zimbabwe has reached alarming proportions and as we enter the dry season, it is of paramount importance that everyone plays a role in arresting the situation.

Veld fires are blazes that get out of control and become wild, in the process destroying extensive tracts of forests, grasslands, animals, people and their property.You are here: Home > Let’s play a part in combating veld fires

Let’s play a part in combating veld fires

August 18, 2013 in Environment

 Follow

inShare

The problem of veld fires in Zimbabwe has reached alarming proportions and as we enter the dry season, it is of paramount importance that everyone plays a role in arresting the situation.

Veld fires are blazes that get out of control and become wild, in the process destroying extensive tracts of forests, grasslands, animals, people and their property.

Veld fires are destroying pastures which is a threat to the country’s restocking exercise.

Although fire has for a long time played a positive role in the vegetation structure and composition, as well as helping recycle nutrients contained in old and dead trees, there is concern that the frequency, extent and pattern of burning, is increasing to unprecedented levels due to human activities.

Statutory Instrument 7 of 2007 in the Environmental Management Act (CAP 20:27) says… “no person is allowed to light a fire outside residential and commercial premises during the period 31 July to 31 October of each year.”

But people are paying no heed to the call.

While most of the veld fires that have been recorded in previous years could have been avoided, some people have been negligent.

Statistics show that human beings account for 95% of forest and veld (Savannah) fires across the globe. In 2002, 350 million hectares of land were burnt worldwide, destroying plantations, crops and pastures.

In Zimbabwe, it is now commonly agreed that veld fires are a significant threat to national economic recovery plans, as they are destroying not only pastures necessary for the restocking exercise, but also foreign currency generation plantations.

Food security has been compromised as the last few years have seen fires burning wheat and maize fields, among other valuables.

Fires tend to have a devastating impact on forest vertebrates and invertebrates by not only killing them but also leading to long-term indirect effects such as stress and loss of habitat, territories, shelter and food.

Veld fires result in the loss of key organisms in forest ecosystems, fruit-eating birds, pollinators, decomposers, amphibians and reptiles resulting in an overall decline in these species.

For example, the loss of forest food products during the dry season by animals such as monkeys and baboons has resulted in these animals migrating to other areas or invading agricultural crops and destroying young pine plantations in Zimbabwe.

Although causes of veld fires can be natural, human activities such as reckless throwing away of burning items like cigarettes, matches or hunters who use fire in the process of hunting animals, are the main causes.

Other culprits can be those who deliberately light fires to eliminate what they view as excessive vegetation. Throwing away empty bottles in the environment can be also dangerous because such bottles can become hot during hot temperatures and ignite the grass and vegetation.

People should learn to be responsible: EMA