12 Nov 2013

The history of tree planting in Botswana dates back to 1985 when the then President Sir Ketumile Masire launched the first national tree planting day and has since been commemorated on the last Saturday of November each year.

Prior to the national tree planting day which will be held at Khawa in Kgalagadi District on November 30, Kgatleng District commemorated theirs in Modipane on November 9.

When officiating at the district tree planting day, board member of Forest Conservation Botswana, Mr Geoffrey Serebolo said the theme: Forest for People: a Key to Poverty Eradication complemented government’s programme of poverty eradication. He said the tree to be planted is Boscia albitruca (motlopi tree) which has been used by Batswana for various purposes in the past and even today.

Mr Serebolo said motlopi had been used as food (fruit, coffee), culturally as an ecological indicator of good and drought years basing on the status of fruiting. He said the tree can also be used for making wooden kitchen utensils and medicinal use where by leaves are infused and used for treating eye infection in cattle while the roots are used to treat haemorrhoids. 

However, Mr Serebolo further said it is not only human beings who depend on motlopi as a source of food, other savannah mammals, birds and butterflies browse and feed on the fruits respectively. He said since 1985 awareness and education have shed light on the importance of tree planting and management. However, he expressed worry over forest and range resources sustainability due to firewood harvesting.

“Resources mismanagement may lead to their depletion and result in land degradation as demonstrated by degraded areas within Kgatleng such as Mmathubudukwane, Bokaa and Rasesa and the indiscriminate cutting of live morukuru trees around Bodungwane, Khurutshe and Kgomodiatshaba areas.”

To curb this problem, governments has developed strategies such as Community Based Natural Resources Management aimed at increasing ownership and sustainable management in the utilisation of natural resources and use it to improve their livelihoods.

Mr Serebolo encouraged Bakgatla to solicit for help from donor agencies to address environmental issues in the district. He said efforts in tree planting will not bear fruits if veldt fires continue to ravage the rangelands. Therefore he encouraged them to stop veld fires. ENDS