AN EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF GRAZING LANDS USING THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT TOOL: A CASE OF CHIRUMANZU DISTRICT, ZIMBABWE

The 1992 United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development Summit underscored the need to conduct environmental sustainability evaluations. Such evaluations are important as they communicate the relationship between natural resources extraction and environmental regenerative capacity. W...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental assessment policy and management 2013-12, Vol.15 (4), p.1-18
Main Authors: KORI, EDMORE, MUSYOKI, AGNES, NETHENGWE, NTHADULENI S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agroecology
Ecological footprint
Ecological sustainability
Land use
Livestock
Pastures
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable food systems
Sustainable global economy
Sustainable land management
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Summary:The 1992 United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development Summit underscored the need to conduct environmental sustainability evaluations. Such evaluations are important as they communicate the relationship between natural resources extraction and environmental regenerative capacity. We use the Ecological Footprint tool to evaluate the environmental sustainability of grazing landuse for Chirumanzu District of Zimbabwe. Empirical evidence presented here relates to livestock data obtained from the Veterinary Department and a sample household survey. Results revealed the presence of a large ecological reserve, depicting sustainable utilization of environmental resources. Further unravelling of the results, however, revealed under utilisation of the available biocapacity.Livestock-limited environmentally sustainableis the concept used to describe this scenario. Further interpretation of the large ecological reserve indicates insecure land tenure system, low livestock ownership and difficult economic hardships faced by resettled farmers. The paper recommends that the government adopts policies that encourage the development of a sustainable livestock sector.
ISSN:1464-3332
1757-5605