© FAO Zimbabwe COMMUNITY BASED FIRE MANAGEMENT FOR ENHANCING FOREST HEALTH AND VITALITY September 2019 SDGs: Countries: Zimbabwe Project Codes: TCP/ZIM/3604 FAO Contribution USD 118 000 Duration: 1 February 2018 – 30 June 2019 Contact Info: FAO Representation in Zimbabwe [email protected] COMMUNITY BASED FIRE MANAGEMENT FOR TCP/ZIM/3604 ENHANCING FOREST HEALTH AND VITALITY Implementing Partners The problem of fires in Zimbabwe can be linked to Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Forestry institutional, attitudinal and enforcement issues. A lack of Commission (FC), Ministry of Environment, Tourism and involvement on the part of certain key actors in the Hospitality Industry, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, formulation, implementation and monitoring and Climate and Rural Resettlement. evaluation of fire activities, as well as a lack of a sense of responsibility for forests and landscapes in the vicinity Beneficiaries of local populations, result in insufficient protection of Vulnerable populations in the Mutasa, Lupane and these forests, landscapes and biodiversity. Bulilima districts; Communities in the project areas, Forests and grazing lands are transboundary in nature. At Government ministries and departments; Consumers. the community level, they are shared by one or more Country Programming Framework (CPF) Outputs villages, making the need for coordination necessary when Priority C: Improved preparedness for effective and it comes to fire-related management issues. In addition to gender-sensitive response to agriculture, food and issues of coordination, there are also problems regarding nutrition threats and emergencies. resources and knowledge of firefighting. Government efforts to reduce the impacts of fire on natural ecosystems started with the launch of the National Fire Protection Strategy (NFPS) in 2006, which aimed to reduce incidences of uncontrolled veld fires and the environmental damage associated with them. In support of the fire protection strategy, FAO and the Forestry Commission (FC) implemented a pilot Community Based Fire Management (CBFiM) project in five districts of Matabeleland North and five districts of Manicaland in 2008, focusing on early season prescribed burning, fire awareness and fire ©FAO/Olivier Asselin suppression. This resulted in an 80 percent reduction in BACKGROUND fire incidences across project areas. In addition, in 2014, FAO and its partners launched the Forest Forces Project Between 1990 and 2010, about 6 540 000 hectares of (FFP), funded by the European Union and FAO in eight national forest cover in Zimbabwe was lost or converted. districts of Zimbabwe. The loss of this forest land has direct impacts on the The NFPS, the pilot CBFiM project and the FFP laid the livelihoods of rural communities through declining groundwork for this Technical Cooperation Project to supplies of firewood, timber and non-wood forest continue to work towards improving the fire situation in products. Deforestation and forest degradation also the Mutasa, Lupane and Bulilima districts of Zimbabwe. indirectly affect water availability, biodiversity and soil This improvement was supported by strengthening the fertility. One contributor to the loss of forest land in capacities of communities and institutional frameworks for Zimbabwe is fires. In 2005 alone, more than 250 000 ha of fire management to minimize wildfires, promoting indigenous forests and 10 000 hectares of pine plantations sustainable natural resource management and increasing were destroyed, which resulted in animal deaths and farm diversity through the management of trees outside forced migration in the natural forests, and a loss of forests (TOF). In responding to the need for a harmonized two-and-a-half rotation years in plantations. The resulting local institutional framework, this project also enabled erratic log supply and shortages proved to be a lasting the establishment of appropriate fire management issue. guidelines across neighbouring communities through Outbreaks of wildfires continue to remain a problem, the engagement of local leadership. Furthermore, it owing to the uncoordinated setting of veld fires. These assisted in identifying multipurpose trees (including fruit fires can have an adverse impact on communities and the trees), technologies and best practices suited to the three sustainability of natural resources, which affects rural food districts to support the diversification of food sources and security and the availability of fuelwood, as well as promote resilience. livelihoods and public health. Wildfires can also increase©FAO poverty and weaken people’s resilience to climate change. 1 COMMUNITY BASED FIRE MANAGEMENT FOR TCP/ZIM/3604 ENHANCING FOREST HEALTH AND VITALITY The overall objective was to improve rural livelihoods and After raising the awareness of fire management, capacities increase community resilience in the targeted districts in in this area were developed further through training Zimbabwe through community fire and forest sessions. The first session trained farmers on basic fire management. To achieve this, the project reviewed fire management and protective equipment, which included management and communication strategies, enhanced knapsack sprayers, shovels, fire beaters and other institutions and community capacity to manage fires, protective gear. Another session trained participants on promoted active management of TOF, including how to use locally available material to fight fires. A maintenance of forest health and vitality, and monitored workshop in Mutasa on making and using firefighting and reported on project activities. equipment had an initial target of 40 participants; however, a total of 54 community members attended, ©FAO Ethiopia IMPACT therefore surpassing the initial goal. Participants were asked to return to their villages and reiterate the training The project was designed to support a collaborative and there to pass along the knowledge gained to as many of comprehensive approach to both fire and TOF their community members as possible. Fire management management among stakeholders in three districts of plans were developed at six sites and the communities Zimbabwe. The capacity building activities aimed to were trained on how to implement the activities set out increase the level of knowledge of firefighting practices in the plans. Assessments to determine the effectiveness and equipment, as well as the management of TOF. The of these training sessions and the implementation of the planting of fruit trees in nurseries was expected to boost plans were expected to be carried out when resources local livelihoods and diversify food sources. Together, permitted. the improved management of fires and TOF will contribute Training events at community level aimed to further to increasing rural livelihoods and resilience in the project increase awareness on fire management. Villages and area. households were trained in pre-suppression and ACHIEVEMENT OF RESULTS suppression activities. Lead farmers, who were members of fire management committees, participated in fire Officials from the government, the private sector and civil awareness meetings in each of the three target districts. society organizations participated in workshops on Educational materials, including posters and pamphlets, improved awareness of fire management both at the were developed on the CBFiM manual. These materials regional and national level. A consultant was hired to were produced in English, as well as Shona and Ndebele, conduct desk studies and stakeholder consultations, and making them accessible to speakers of local languages. then prepare a review report, which was shared during the Ten-minute radio programmes on fire management were workshops. These workshops reported good attendance also developed and broadcast once a week for ten weeks overall, with 70 percent of targeted participants attending during fire season. The programmes were also in Shona the regional workshops and 96 percent attending the and Ndebele. The FC and EMA summarized experiences national workshops. The outcomes of the review process surrounding fires in the target districts, and they were were synthesized and disseminated to the minister of discussed during the workshops to allow for the environment, water and climate. identification of areas for improvement. A report on fire experiences in Zimbabwe as a whole was also produced and disseminated to stakeholders. National Fire Week was commemorated through the distribution of materials to ©FAO communities in the project area. ©FAO/P. Lowrey 2 COMMUNITY BASED FIRE MANAGEMENT FOR TCP/ZIM/3604 ENHANCING FOREST HEALTH AND VITALITY Improved management of TOF was also an objective of the IMPLEMENTATION OF WORK PLAN project. The achievement of this Output began with All of the activities were implemented within the planned awareness raising meetings on the importance of TOF in budget. A few issues with timing were experienced, both the Mutasa district. Agroforestry awareness materials in procurement and in the execution of activities, owing were developed, produced, translated and distributed to to the above-mentioned security concerns during the stakeholders, and they covered topics such as starting an election period. Fortunately, two no-cost extensions were agroforestry nursery project, agroforestry for sustainable granted, which allowed for the project activities to livelihoods, trees for fodder, agroforestry and bees, and continue. transplanting trees. Demonstration plots were created