Environmental management and practises in Zimbabwe’s Chivi district: A political ecology analysis

Abstract

Zimbabwe is currently suffering from a myriad of environmental conservation problems in addition to destabilising economic and political problems. As a result of the growing crisis of environmental degradation, the government has developed divergent policies, acts and resolutions to address the problems. While scholars have emphasised the significance of environmental legislation, the continual environmental degradation in the country questions the resource management strategies currently in use. This paper seeks to examine the symbiotic relationship between society, politics and the environment in Chivi District, Southern Zimbabwe. The paper uses political ecology lens to interrogate the policies and regulations whose implementation is often caught up in a web of political interactions as diverse stakeholders seek to maximise the use of natural resources with negative repercussions on the environment. The paper addresses these aspects by adopting a qualitative approach while using Chivi District as a case study. Data were gathered through desktop review and in-depth interviews with 15 purposively sampled key informants and 30 conveniently sampled community members. Data collected were analysed using the thematic analysis method. The findings demonstrate that some regulatory frameworks on environment did not only protect sustainable use of natural resources but they also engender degradation of the same resources. Results of the study show that the existing environmental regulations are fragmented and difficult to enforce and there are some provisions that sanction people to degrade the environment. Unless addressed through deliberate policy intervention, natural resources in Chivi district will severely deteriorate and thus affecting development of the community.

Keywords

• deforestation
• environmental problems
• management and practise
• political ecology
• land degradation