Environmental policy and administrative management

SECTION A: PROJECT RATIONALE AND APPROACH 1.1 Project Summary The Flora Movement Trust is proposing to embark on a project to build the capacity of local communities to address challenges arising from biodiversity loss and land degradation in six villages namely Makumbe, Munemo, Zhanda and Chirimuuta 1, Chonyera and Murungweni villages of Mawanga Ward in Goromonzi District. This is part of efforts to improve community responses to biodiversity loss and land degradation. Mawanga Ward is one of the several wards identified by Flora Movement through a rapid assessment as having challenges in biodiversity conservation and land use management. Two main gullies in Makumbe are going to be reclaimed and a wetland in Munemo area is also going to be conserved. Land use management and biodiversity conservation are the two most crucial components to community sustainable livelihoods. Like most rural and peri-urban communities in Zimbabwe, the six villages located in Mawanga ward are faced with an increase in the proportion of households living in poverty conditions arising from inefficient land use practices and biodiversity loss. Through an earlier on cooperation with ZERO in the adjacent Munyawiri ward of the same district, Flora Movement would want to replicate some of these initiatives in Mawanga ward. The action to be replicated in the four villages was proposed by the communities as they have seen the benefits in Munyawiri ward. Flora proposes interventions such as afforestation and reforestation, conservation of woodlands and fauna species, gully reclamation, organic farming, drilling and protection of deep wells, preservation of wetlands and establishment of orchards on their properties. The communities were very much willing and have helped us to identify the major problem that they are facing and pointed out the problems that need immediate attention by this project. Flora will start working in six villages in Mawanga ward with a vision to scale up to cover the whole ward comprising 46 villages on the background of anticipated successes. These communities were identified as the worst affected by deforestation and affected by soil erosion to the extent of developing gullies in the ward. The project seeks to address the problems associated with the negative impacts of biodiversity loss, community livelihoods and sustainable development in the six villages. The impacts vary from droughts, habitat loss, floods, loss of biodiversity and disturbing traditional systems. Community traditional knowledge systems on environmental management will be enhanced through continuous capacity building. The project goal is to improve and maintain biodiversity status and efficient land use management for the benefit of communities. This will be achieved through awareness raising and funding of stated activities on the ground. Flora Movement has extensive experience on community capacity building gained through attending workshops and community outreach programmes. Flora has been participating in ZERO s field trips where it has gained vast experience in effective community engagement processes. Flora also works with various networks where it acts as an associate and at times partner in community projects. Through Flora s involvement with established partners and associates such as ZERO Regional Environment Organization, Development Reality Institute and City of Harare who work with various rural communities, the organization has developed the much needed and critical community engagement techniques. As a strategic way of building the capacity of staff members to be well abreast with the dynamics of community work, Flora Movement has been sending them for attachment to established organizations working with rural communities. The proposed activities are aimed at building onto the country s efforts to cope with biodiversity loss and combat the threats posed by unsustainable environmental practices by the communities. For this grassroots action to be effective there has to be sufficient awareness on the impacts of biodiversity loss and inefficient land use practices. Practical interventions such as the holding of workshops to raise awareness and engaging communities on forest and woodland restoration, preservation of wetlands, gulley reclamation, establishment of orchards at household level and sinking of deep wells. The table below shows the activities to be implemented, where they are to be implemented and also the number of beneficiaries both men and women. 50 orchards will be established in five villages namely Zhanda, Murungweni, Makumbe, Chonyera and Chirimuuta. Orchards will be established at the household level with each orchard having 20 exotic fruit trees like oranges, lemon, mango, pear, apple etc. The households who will get the orchards will be responsible maintenance of the orchards through watering, weeding, fencing and spraying. The households who will benefit from the orchards will be selected from the five villages. The selection criteria of the beneficiaries will be prioritising widows, women and child headed families, the elderly and those who are disabled. This will build their capacity and raise their living standards. The total cost of the project is US$ 85532.75 and Flora is requesting US$ 30755.83 from GEF Small Grants Programme. The requested funds will go a long way in implementing the project activities that aim to place the local communities in a better position to address the environmental chal

Zimbabwe