Excitement and fanfare characterised the second edition of the Chivero Challenge with scores participating in several activities towards the protection and restoration of the environment at Lake Chivero, recently (June 13 and 14).
environment, with Kennedy Nyavaya
Founded last year by Kuimba Shiri Bird Park in collaboration with the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) Zimbabwe, the challenge is a biannual multidisciplinary sports ecotourism event hosted every winter and summer seasons.
Organisers say the occasion’s main objective is to resuscitate, conserve and protect the Lake Chivero basin as well as boost tourism and recreational activities around the Lake area.
“The reason we thought of sports is because we have a huge area around us and people are chopping trees indiscriminately, they are poaching and carrying on in a destructive direction like that,” said Kuimba Shiri director Gary Stafford.
“The (Chivero Challenge) idea is that if you have got people running through the bush or even walking, it is a presence of people that are caring for the environment and it will have an effect on people, who are trying to abuse the environment because they do not want to be seen doing it.”
Lake Chivero is one of the seven Ramsar Convention (on Wetlands) sites in Zimbabwe and it is a water source for the city of Harare and other surrounding towns apart from being an amazing tourist destination.
However, in recent years the ecologically sensitive space has been experiencing rampant tree chopping, over fishing, siltation and pollution that has degraded its environs.
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Through the challenge, an array of activities including horse riding, marathon, mountain biking, motor cycling and boat rowing were arranged as part of fund raising efforts set to assist in environment protection, reforestation, establishment of litter transfer centers, wetland restoration through fish farming and water hyacinth based briquette production.
“By affording regular interaction with the natural environment and educational presentations, an event such as Chivero Challenge cements values of conservation, stewardship and responsible behavior,” said AYICC programmes officer Mukudzei Nyamhamba.
Nyamhamba added that the protection of wetlands such as Lake Chivero was an urgent matter as they play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, replenishing underground water and natural purification of the resource among other advantages.
The summer edition of the initiative supported by the Chivero neighboring community, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, City of Harare, SRC (Sports and Recreation Commission), EMA (Environmental Management Agency) and Zimparks is marked for October.
“Initially we thought these events are a one weekend thing but during the course of the year our environment will still be abused so we now want to have two events a year and what we are hoping to do is to encourage people to come out to Chivero and use the route regularly,” said Stafford.
“There will be no fees involved. We want people here to appreciate creation, God gave us a beautiful place and it is our responsibility to look after it and not just come in, drink, throw bottles down and leave a mess behind.”
