Wild species central to human survival FIFTY thousand wild species meet the needs of billions of people worldwide, providing food, cosmetics, shelter, clothing, medicine and inspiration.
But now, a million species of plants and animals face extinction with far-reaching consequences, including endangering economies, food security and livelihoods.
Against a backdrop of an ongoing global biodiversity crisis, a new report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) offers insights, analysis and tools to establish more sustainable use of wild species of plants, animals, fungi and algae around the world.
The IPBES Assessment Report on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species builds directly on the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, which alerted the world that a million species of plants and animals face extinction, many within decades.
The report is a result of four years of work by 85 leading experts from every region of the world to help decision-makers address the unsustainable use of wild species.
On the key findings, at least 50 000 wild species are used through different practices, including more than 10 000 wild species harvested directly for human food. An estimated 70% of the world’s poor depend directly on wild species.
One in five people rely on wild plants, algae and fungi for their food and income; 2,4 billion rely on fuel wood for cooking; and about 90% of the 120 million people working in capture fisheries are supported by small-scale fishing.
Rural people in developing countries are most at risk from unsustainable use, with a lack of complementary alternatives often forcing them to further exploit wild species already at risk.
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Overall, wild tree species account for two-thirds of global industrial roundwood. Trade in wild plants, algae and fungi is a billion-dollar industry. Even non-extractive uses of wild species are big business.
Pre-COVID-19, tourism based on observing wild species was one of the main reasons that protected areas globally received eight billion visitors and generated US$600 billion yearly.
The report harnesses different knowledge systems to dialogue on sustainable use of wild species.
We cannot talk of the intrinsic relationship between people and nature if we do not incorporate sustainable use of wild species as one of the greatest challenges we face.
We have to reduce the over-exploitation of wild species and their unsustainability.
In providing the evidence and science needed to ensure sustainability, the report identifies five broad categories of practices in using wild species: fishing, gathering, logging, terrestrial animal harvesting, including hunting and finally, non-extractive practices. The examination reveals that, by and large, the use of wild species has increased, but the sustainability of use varies.
For instance, global estimates confirm that about 34% of marine wild fish stocks are overfished and that 66% are fished within biologically sustainable levels.
The survival of an estimated 12% of wild tree species is threatened by unsustainable logging. Several plant groups, notably cacti, cycads and orchids, are threatened by mostly unsustainable gathering. Unsustainable hunting is a threat to 1,341 wild mammal species. –Joyce Chimbi
Need for more climate finance for Africa RICH countries and international financial institutions need to provide more funding for Africa to support global climate goals by preventing African nations from pursuing carbon-intensive development.
The regional development lender was seeking a new type of special drawing rights (SDRs) from the International Monetary Fund that would be channelled to climate resilience.
Only 5% of SDRs went to African countries. Rich countries must reallocate more of the IMF’s reserve currency for Africa’s climate finance.
I am not calling for aid, I am not calling for grants or a favour for Africa, I am actually calling for the global community to realise that fixing Africa is fixing the world.
“Because otherwise if Africa chooses to develop on high carbon intensive pathways the planet is at risk.”
Meeting the nationally determined contributions to fight climate change requires African countries to mobilise US$1,6 trillion between 2022 and 2030, but so far, they have only received US$18,3 billion.
Financing needs are huge and the fiscal capacities of African countries are squeezed so much by external shocks that are not their responsibility.
The global financial architecture needs to be reviewed as the overlapping crises deepen the gap between the global north and south.
Financial inflows into the continent have been declining and financing tightening, pushing many African countries to borrow in open markets and issue bonds with shorter terms and higher risk.
Some countries are basically mortgaging their future assets to get funds through resource-backed loans. – Urama
Brace for bumpy ride ahead of 2023 elections LAST month, Zanu PF continued to shut down the space for the opposition in Mashonaland West, East, Central and Masvingo provinces and perhaps the most prominent case is when suspected Zanu PF youths allegedly backed by Energy minister and Muzarabani North legislator Zhemu Soda and Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe attacked Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) vice-president Tendai Biti as he was travelling from Muzarabani.
According to information Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) gathered, Zanu PF district chairperson Emmerson Raradza, Muzarabani South legislator Tapera Saizi and Soda, with the assistance of Kazembe, organised a group of party youths and mobilised resources to converge and attack Biti, who is also Harare East legislator.
It is alleged that Kazembe got information of Biti’s visit to Muzarabani through the police channels which he superintends.
Kazembe allegedly went on to pass Biti’s travel details to Saizi and Soda, who organised the attack.
With the plan finalised, it was shared with Raradza and Central Intelligence Office operative identified as Hamunyari Kasengezi, who then allegedly organised vehicles to ferry party youths from Muzarabani North’s wards 7, 8 and 9.
The youths were allegedly given beer and food to carry out the attack.
The youths allegedly mounted a roadblock and when Biti’s vehicle convoy arrived, the youths sang and chanted Zanu PF songs and slogans as they stoned the motorcade, forcing Biti to make a U-turn back to Harare.
This is just one of the prominent cases where the operating space for the opposition is being constricted ahead of the 2023 elections and in the past three months, ZPP has recorded over 20 incidents where Zanu PF local leaders or traditional leaders have deliberately taken action meant to intimidate opposition supporters.
For example, in June, Zanu PF youths forced CCC supporters to abort a soccer tournament organised by the opposition.
Zanu PF youths alleged that they had not been informed of the tournament and it could, therefore, not go ahead.
Even President Emmerson Mnangagwa seems to be part of the whole grand scheme to alienate the opposition because when he visited Murehwa in June to commission a Civil Registry office, he allegedly summoned traditional leaders and while addressing them, he said they were supposed to be seen to be actively leading the Zanu PF party cells.
According to the Constitution, traditional leaders are not supposed to support any political party and by “urging them to support and lead Zanu PF structures”, Mnangagwa not only abused his authority, but also acted in contravention of section 281 of the Constitution, which clearly states that traditional leaders must not be members of any political party or in any way participate in partisan politics and must not act in a partisan manner or further the interests of any political party or cause.
Mnangagwa is not alone in this, because his deputy Constantino Chiwenga, in May while addressing an Africa Day eve meeting, told traditional leaders in Gwanda to mobilise support for Zanu PF ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In the same month, Zanu PF vice-president Kembo Mohadi also summoned Bulilima West traditional leaders to a meeting at Plumtree town offices, where he told them to mobilise and campaign for Zanu PF.
Mohadi also held another meeting at Esikhoveni Institute, where he told traditional leaders the same thing.
The attempts to shut down space cascade down to the lower levels of Zanu PF leadership and in Mudzi and Murehwa North, Zanu PF councillors and legislators continued to force villagers to attend their party meetings.
A CCC supporter in Mudzi North received death threats after questioning a Zanu PF ward chairperson why he was forcing villagers to chant ruling party slogans.
The ward chairperson is reported to have threatened villagers at a ward development committee meeting, which is supposed to be apolitical and open to all villagers.
The cases are all over the country and in Nyanga North’s ward 2, while addressing a meeting at Avila Shopping Centre on June 11, 2022, Zanu PF ward chairperson Paul Teta said the party was due to resume night vigils and establish camps where opposition supporters would be assaulted and tortured the same way as in 2008 when it launched an orgy of violence against opposition supporters following then President Robert Mugabe’s loss to opposition MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Based on this and more human rights violations recorded in June 2022, Zanu PF once again was ahead of the pack, contributing to over 43% of all violations, while the Zimbabwe Republic Police followed behind at 24,4%.
CCC was implicated in nearly 4% of all the violations and this stems mostly from the party youths’ retaliation against attacks on its supporters by Zanu PF youths in Nyatsime
In Nyatsime, CCC activist Moreblessing Ali was abducted then murdered and her body cut into pieces in one of the worst forms of suspected political brutality.
After the discovery of Ali’s mutilated body in a disused well, Zanu PF went on to claim that Ali was their member although when she went missing, not once did the local leadership of the party raise concern about her disappearance.
Her murder sparked intense political violence in the area.
In all the human rights violations, about 91% of victims are ordinary citizens, while about 7% are CCC supporters and 0,5% are Zanu PF supporters.
There is a possibility that some citizens deliberately hide their political affiliation for fear of reprisals that come with being associated with one particular party. – ZPP
