WEZNEWZ - MASHONALAND BRANCH Newsletter

Wildlife & Environment Zimbabwe [WEZ] formerly Wildlife Society of Zimbabwe - For Environmental Awareness - Mashonaland Branch Mashonaland Committee Members Chris Magadza [Acting Chair], Cleopas Mashiri[Treasurer], Rene Lopes, Portia Chifamba and Bill Dickinson

OCTOBER 2009 D A T E S F O R Y O U R D I A R Y

We have not been invited to Lanark for a game count this year, they have had both Birdlife and Treelife out earlier, so probably feel that is enough.
Hopefully we will be able to organise a count next year.

Mashonaland Shop News
The WEZ Shop at the Mukuvisi Woodland is full stocked with lots of goodies - We are open every weekday from 08:00 to 17:00, Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00 and Sunday and Public Holidays from 09:00 to 13:00.
Please phone us on 747859 if you have any queries or requests.

The Branch has been donated a lot of books from novels to classic. We are also now selling books from the History Society library.

Primary Schools Environmental Quiz
Once again a sincere thank you to the heads and staff of Arundel and Prince Edward for hosting the preliminary rounds of our annual Primary Schools Environmental quiz and to all the helpers without whom the Quiz could not be run.
This year we had eleven schools go through to the Mashonaland Finals.
Alexander Park, Belvedere, Blakiston, Dudley Hall, Gateway, Hallingbury, Hellenic, Louis Mountbatten, Ruzawi, Springvale and Twin Rivers. It is always good to see new teams go through to our Branch finals.
The Mashonaland Finals were held at Hellenic School this year - our sincere thanks to the head and staff, especially the kitchen staff and to the helpers.
Congratulations to the students and their teachers of Ruzawi and Hellenic who go through to represent Mashonaland at the National Finals in Sebakwe on the 24th October 2009.

MISCELLANEOUS
There have been many recent reports regarding serious issues about our National Parks and other environmental concerns. The National Office is aware of these and working to correct them. They are also contributing to including Environmental Rights as a constitutional right - the only effective way of `enforcing' these issues.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

In the June 29 edition of Newsweek there was an article on biodiversity under the section on Medicine. As most of us know nature is very good at devising ways of killing things - many of them through pathogens, viruses, bacteria and a wide variety of other parasites. She also has countless ways of coping and surviving with an impressive range of mechanisms to fend off pathogens or contain them in particular ecosystems that have built in defence systems. However this is under serious threat from humans destroying the balance of nature's ecosystems and the natural defences built into biodiversity. Why are we not surprised! Biodiversity is described as both the measure of disruption in an ecosystem [a symptom of illness] and the final cost as well as the diversity of defences and cures. In other words, humans cannot separate themselves from the environment as our very existence depends on it. .

In the latest edition of Tree Life there are guidelines for selecting non-invasive alien plants and a list of alien plants to avoid. If you would like further information please contact them. Treelife's email is petra@mango.zw or the Tree Society web site http://www.ling.org.zw/treesociety/index.htm.

In an article sent out by Birdlife a hidden forest turned up on Google Earth in Mozambique in a locally known but unmapped area of Mount Mabu. Jonathan Timberlake from Kew said that it was potentially the biggest area of medium altitude forest in southern Africa. Three new species of butterfly were found and an undiscovered species of adder as well as new species of plants and possible insects. It is regarded as an important site for endangered birds. At present the area is regarded as sub-optimal and provided refuge during the protracted war. However this situation could change rapidly as people move back into the area. RBG Kew and Birdlife are working hard to conserve the forest for its diversity and undiscovered new species.

In the September edition of Africa Geographic there was a snippet about a new law being passed in Rwanda limiting the manufacture, use, importation and sale of polythene bags. Any individual or company found in possession of prohibited bags faces a hefty fine or imprisonment. The snippet did not detail the type of bags and, obviously, enforcement will be difficult, but the idea is a move in the right direction.

There was also mention of the possibility of moving fencing - a 48 k section of the Kruger's western boundary to create a 150 square kilometre park specifically for trophy hunting!!!


Wildlife & Environment Zimbabwe [WEZ]
Mashonaland Branch P O Box GD 800 Greendale Mukuvisi Woodland Corner Glenara Avenue South & Hillside Road Extension Hillside Harare Phone 747859 Fax 747174 e-mail mashwild@utande.co.zw