Let’s play a part in combating veld fires
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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
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
People should learn to be responsible: EMA
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