Held on September 23, the anniversary featured a speech from Mrs. Margaret Sangarwe, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and was attended by Government officials, academics, researchers and community representatives.

The anniversary also included a workshop involving some 30 scientists, forestry directors and senior forestry officials from countries in the region who met to examine the theme, "People and Forests in Africa - Towards a Research Agenda for the Next Decade".

In her key note address, the Permanent Secretary urged scientists, practicing foresters and local and international forestry institutions to work closely together to ensure trees and forests are used wisely as Zimbabwe undertakes its land reform program.

"As we continue with our land reform, how do we ensure that we conserve and use wisely our forest resources in this process? We would not want to load one institution with all the forestry and rural problems but I believe there are related stakeholders who would want to work with the Center for International Forestry Research on these and other aspects by putting resources together and bringing solutions to these problems," Sangarwe said.

The Permanent Secretary encouraged CIFOR to work closely with the Forestry Commission in looking at how to restructure Zimbabwe's forest policies and laws to enhance corporate and community participation in the forestry sector and to improve the commercialisation of forestry products.

She also commended CIFOR for playing an important role in building forestry management capacity in the region and for its research and published works dealing with the miombo woodlands - an area of 2.7 million square kilometres of forest connecting Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.

CIFOR's Regional Co-ordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa, Professor Godwin Kowero also addressed the audience at the Anniversary and expressed his support for the increased effort by governments to encourage greater local participation in forest management.

"We see increased democratisation of our governments, specifically to empower rural communities and increase their participation in owning and managing natural resources."

"However, it is obvious that poverty in rural and peri-urban areas is on the increase and forest cover is declining. There is, therefore, need to reflect on the future and put into place mechanisms to correct such anomalies," Kowero said.

Based on information provided by
journalist Gilbert Munetsi