Citizens transform urban green space in Zimbabwe

DW (English)

With Africa's urban population expected to double by 2050, green city spaces will be vital. In Bulawayo, citizens have restored a neglected conservation area.

Transcript

00:00Lantana kamara is a species of verbena native to the Americas.

00:05The attractive flowers thrive in warm climates.

00:09Here in Zimbabwe they've become a problem.

00:12They out-compete with the indigenous species.

00:16Our indigenous species are slow at growth unlike with the alien invasives.

00:22And some of the invasives they suppress then the indigenous trees of which is what we are

00:29conserving.

00:31Yusai dams is a green space in the city of Blauayo.

00:35For 18 years it's been looked after by the conservancy.

00:40Together with her team and a few volunteers,

00:43Bernadette Mupinda walks through the park twice a week uprooting invasive plants.

00:49The park supports over 100 indigenous plants.

00:52If they disappear other wildlife would also suffer.

00:57Student Zotulezulu helps out regularly at the park.

01:03If we have the community here and they see, oh here is the orchid that is here because we removed

01:08the Lantana, they'll be more motivated to participate.

01:13If they can see tangible results of their action, it's important for the community to be involved.

01:20Because if they're not involved they won't see the value of it.

01:23The team monitors the plant population and recalls the findings.

01:29Smartphone apps help the volunteers to identify the plants.

01:33The regular weeding and monitoring are having an impact.

01:37The Yusai dams conservancy says 70% of invasive species have been brought under control.

01:43Reward enough for Zotulezulu, her studies in forestry resources have taught her to value native species.

01:51There are species today that are extinct or they're on the verge of extinction

01:59because no one was monitoring them.

02:01They were once a least concerned species.

02:03No one was bothered or concerned about their disappearance.

02:08But it happens very slowly and generations from now will have problems that could have been solved

02:14by us acting today or us not acting today.

02:18Green spaces are especially important in the city.

02:22Every year over 200,000 hectares of forests in Zimbabwe are cleared for building.

02:28The cities are expanding. That's one thing that's happening in Africa and

02:33normally the environment is not even considered.

02:35I mean we were building on wetlands and the more we built on wetlands, the less ground storage we have,

02:42the less groundwater we have, the less groundwater we have,

02:45the more trees that are dying because their roots cannot reach the water table.

02:51Which in turn increases the risk of forest fires.

02:55Last year, Yusai Dems once again suffered from wildfires.

03:00Yet another challenge for conservationists.

03:03Maintaining nature's balance is not easy.

03:06The Conservancy is a citizen's initiative and receives no government funding.

03:12By offering leisure activities, the park can bring in vital extra income to help finance its work.

03:18I love coming to Hillside Dams. I walk here pretty much every single day.

03:24So it gives me an amazing opportunity to exercise, stay healthy and keep fit.

03:30And I really appreciate all the work that's being done here.

03:33Especially the fact that the environment's really clean.

03:38Even with visitor-generated income, the Conservancy struggles to cover its costs.

03:44The HDC Recreational Park plays a very pivotal role in the financing of our conservation initiatives.

03:52However, it only pays for about 30 to 40 percent of our initiatives.

03:59And we look to donor funding, we look to partners with other stakeholders in the environmental industry.

04:07Despite the financial challenges, the Conservancy is a success story.

04:14Around 200 bird species have been seen in the park, for example.

04:19Another good sign, it wasn't always that way.

04:22At this time of the year, we expect the song birds, the small ones like the red bishop to be flying around in their breeding plumage.

04:31But the moment you start to see those disappearing, you don't see those species.

04:35That means we don't have enough grasses with the seeds that they'll feed on.

04:39So it spells out an environmental hazard or something wrong with our ecosystem or environment.

04:47The Conservancy has taken on a pioneering role in Mlawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city.

04:54Bernadette Mupinda says the city's other green spaces and parks could also benefit from a conservation program.

05:01She and her team hope this is just the start.

05:04We're hoping this as a pilot project will emanate from here.

05:09And then we can move to the rest of the city and the rest of the green spaces, ensuring that we have a model and a structure that works.

05:18That requires more support and not just extra funding.

05:22Above all, it's the local volunteers who ensure the city's native plants are protected,

05:27safeguarding biodiversity for the benefit of all.

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