Zimbabwe is one of the most advanced countries in biodiversity in Africa. It holds much value in its natural reserves, from the miombo woodlands to the non-timber forestry products, fisheries and wildlife. The natural reserves hold a lot of potential in terms of business development, tourism and contributing towards boosting the economy of the country. Outside of the tourism, fisheries, forestry and wildlife sectors, most utilization of biodiversity is unaccounted for. The cumulative value of biodiversity in this country has never been calculated and its full potential never really portrayed. Zimbabwe under the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry with the support from African Wildlife Foundation (AFW) has embarked on a journey to value its biodiversity through a biodiversity economy survey. The survey is being conducted by Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association in conjunction with Anchor Environmental Consultants, a South African team of seasoned consultants, who are experts in conservation biodiversity and selected local experts from various institutions of relevance to biodiversity economy. The team is being led by Dr Jane Turpie of Anchor Environmental Consultants. The output will be a report on the status of the biodiversity economy in Zimbabwe. A first of its kind which will include a framework for national capital accounting and a strategy for capitalizing on key investment opportunities. The report will be used as a tool to inform policies in natural resources management and biodiversity economy itself and any other relevant fields where the information to be obtained is found useful.
As stated by Olivia Mufute, the African Wildlife Foundation Country Director for Zimbabwe, the study is being carried out following a request made by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development requires a tool to inform policies in order to maximize the country’s inclusive wealth whilst ensuring the long-term sustainability of its biological resource base. A study inception report has been drafted and shared with relevant stakeholders. A meeting was held on the 28th of September 2021. Key sectors to the biodiversity economy study are forestry and wildlife, fisheries, bioprospecting, private sector, civil society and the finance sector. These were present at the inception meeting discussing the objectives of the study, the proceedings to be followed when conducting the survey, the data needs, data availability, how the information will be presented and the working timelines. The country is meant to gain a clearer view of the contribution of biodiversity to the economy of Zimbabwe as well as its role in sustaining livelihoods and driving growth and development.
In Zimbabwe, communities especially in the rural areas rely on natural products to sustain their livelihoods. Exploitation of non-timber forestry products especially such as baobab, marula, ‘masawu’ and ‘mazhanje’ have seen children being put through school and families being fed. Though seasonal these resources have already proven to be of great value. The gap is that these cases are rarely recorded and the value being brought by the sale and production of cosmetics and juices from marula fruits, baobab, other non-timber forestry products as well as other exploitable species of flora and fauna is unaccounted for. Most of this work is being done in the informal sector or community projects. Hence, it is therefore of great importance to ensure that the value of such natural resources has been measured as it paves way for possible future investments, sustainable practices and utilization of resources as well as uplifting of livelihoods.
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