Chikukwa villagers in Chimanimani district are promoting biodiversity conservation through adopting agroecology principles and observing and upholding their cultural and traditional values.
Fungai Chigero (60) a traditional leader and one of the custodians of one of the sacred forests in Chikukwa says it is through community dialogue that villagers have come to understand the importance of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.
“Through community dialogues, villagers have become much more conscious of the importance of preserving sacred sites. Sacred sites are important because they are havens for biodiversity and this is where we conduct our traditional ceremonies,” says Fungai.
Fungai adds that the preservation of Sacred Natural Sites and Territories sites like community wetlands and forests is helping the fight against the effects of climate change in their community especially after the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai in 2019.
“After cyclone Idai, villagers came together but could not come up with a conclusive solution to the environmental calamities. CELUCT then came in this year and organized community dialogues which have helped to bring commonality in our communities,
“This has helped in the protection of endangered plant and animal species. We use these sacred sites for traditional ceremonies like rain making and they are very important to us,” says Fungai.
Chikukwa Ecological Land Use Community Trust (CELUCT) Director, Dalend Chikukwa (49), says his organisation has been supporting the community in organizing community dialogues.
“Our focus is to promote the cross pollination of ideas for community development. “We cannot separate our beliefs and cultures from the people. If people respect our traditions and cultures there will be more productivity as in the case of the environmental protection through the community dialogues,” says Dalend.
Patronellah Gandare (23) says through learning about the importance of culture and the preservation of Sacred Natural Sites and Territories, youths have become active and more conscious on issues pertaining to biodiversity conservation.
“Through youth involvement and participation in community dialogues, we have become more conscious of our roles in protecting our environment and natural resources,” says Patronellah.
She adds that before the introduction of community dialogues, youths were unaware and sometimes ignorant of their roles and responsibilities in environmental conservation. Thomas Chikukwa (48), a spirit medium residing in Chikukwa says people should respect their traditions, particularly Sacred Natural Sites and Territories.
“As traditional and spiritual leaders, we encourage people to protect the sanctity of nature because of its importance and our connection to it. Protecting our environment ensures our survival and the survival of future generations,” he says.
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