Staff members from the Deposit Protection Corporation (DPC) took part for the first time in the 2014 Friends of the Environment Walkathon from Bulawayo to Gwanda, walking a distance of 130 kilometers over a period of 3 days in an effort to raise environmental awareness on the importance of tree planting.

 

The walkathon  was also part of DPC's corporate social responsibility.

 

The 2014 walkathon saw 200 walkers from different institutions taking part. In addition to the awareness walk, tree planting was also done at 3 schools along the way. The curtain came down on Friday 5 December with the official opening of the nursery at Ntepe High School in Gwanda which was sponsored by OK Zimbabwe. The nursery will serve as the hub for providing tree seedlings for the greater part of Matabeleland South.

 

In addition to DPC, some of the corporates  that participated included OK Zimbabwe (main sponsor), Standard Chartered Bank, Nyaradzo, Iveco, StarFM, Road Angels, Forestry Commission, Mimosa and Zimplats among others.

 

Friends of the Environment (FOTE) is a non-profit organisation of like-minded individuals and corporate entities championing the re-greening of Zimbabwe through tree planting. FOTE works together with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management, The Forestry Commission and Environmental Management Agency (EMA).

 

Objectives of FOTE:

• to plant 500 million trees by 2026.
• to establish at least 100 nurseries across the country.
• to raise environmental awareness through annual walkathon campaigns.
• to plant trees across the country with different communities.
• to encourage communities to plant and conserve trees.
• to create employment through nursery projects.
• to create woodlots from which communities can derive benefits.

 

Background to the drive:

• widespread deforestation has turned out to be the chief global ecological tragedy of modern times.
• forests are depleting much faster than nature can replenish on its own.
• it is estimated that 330, 000 hectares of trees are destroyed annually in Zimbabwe (1ha = 1,600 trees).
• At this rate, it is estimated that Zimbabwean forests will be completely wiped out in 52 years (Forestry Commission, 2012).
• Deforestation is said to be affecting the SADC region, African continent and the whole world.

 

Importance of trees

• maintenance of a balanced ecosystem.
• trees have a multi-functional effect of reducing global warming.
• trees control weather fluctuations.
• trees protect the soil, filter water, provide medicinal herbs and beautify landscapes.

 

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