Wetland provides sanctuary for rural fishing project

via Wetland provides sanctuary for rural fishing project – The Zimbabwean 10 July 2015 by Kenneth Matimaire

Nyatondo village in Nyanga South has become one of the few classical examples of a community that invested its livelihood in sensitive eco-systems. KENNETH MATIMAIRE reports.

A fishing project spearheaded by a female-dominated community executive has become a source of hope and livelihood for unemployed villagers in Ward 19 here. Nyamuenda Wetland Protection and Fish Ponds was born out of an environmentally friendly initiative to preserve an underutilised wetland in the area.

Janie Charangwa, 68, a committee member said the wetland could be traced back to the 80s. She and a group of nine other women first build fish ponds on the wetland in 1989 as a food source for their piggery project.

“Though we have now started this fish project in earnest, its origins can be traced back to 1989 when our group ventured into a piggery project. We were advised that fish was a good source of food for pigs and we kept fish at the ponds to feed our pigs,” recalled Charangwa, who used to work at the Ministry of National Affairs and Employment Development.

The pig-rearing project later collapsed, leaving the fish ponds deserted. All the fish that were kept at the wetland vanished as a result of poaching from some community members.

Important assets

Wetlands are considered to be very important environmental assets. Throughout history, they have formed an integral part of human survival and development by way of sustainable exploitation.

However, they have been subjected to threats in the form of clearance of wetlands for agricultural purposes and urbanisation – with many being converted to residential stands or used for mining thereby resulting in chemical poisoning.

The Nyamuenda wetland has over the years been subjected to similar challenges as well. It is against this backdrop that the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) intervened last year to save the wetland.

Over-grazing

“As a result (of these threats) we have seen it prudent to conserve one of the wetlands we have in Manicaland in Nyamuenda (Nyanga). It was under threat from over-grazing. It was also under threat from expansion of agricultural activities,” said EMA Manicaland Province manager Kingstone Chitotombe.

“We have fenced the wetland and started a community fish project. This is one way of sustainable utilisation of wetlands,” he said.

EMA, district environmental officer for Nyanga Daniel Manzou further elaborated that they used funds from the Environment Grant to fund the project. “EMA released $1,500 from its Environment Grant to purchase the fence, poles and fish, which are now being bred in the ponds,” said Manzou.

They bought a total of 3,500 Kariba Bream fish from Voice Africa Trust at a cost of $500 while $400 was set aside for transportation and the remainder for the security fence. “The community was also equipped with fish breeding skills during a one day workshop,” he added.

EMA has been working on the project in conjunction with Agritex and Livestock Production, which specialises in fish breeding. The fish, which were bought in February, need up to four months and to weigh 10 grams before they start reproducing.

Tea-bag system

Nyamuenda fish project secretary Tapiwa Charangwa said the wetland, which has 28 ponds, is supporting a total of 30 families at the moment. “Of these 28 ponds, five have fish and we intend to stock the remaining ones once our fish have reached their breeding phase. Also, we intend to expand the project to the rest of the entire community from the 30 members currently involved, once we reach that phase,” she said.

The project secretary added that they use the tea-bag system to feed the fish by soaking sacks with manure in the ponds.

Tendai Marambira, another committee member, said the project would go a long way in turning around their lives. “Once this project has reached its final stage, it will change not only our lives but that of the entire community. There are a lot of things that we can gain from this initiative.

“Firstly, we will have an alternative source of food. Secondly, we will also have a source of revenue as we will be selling the fish,” said Marambira.

The Nyatongo community has three other wetlands, a nutrition garden and a woodlot project.