TITLE:
The Impact of Human Activities on the Environment, Case of Mhondongori in Zvishavane, Zimbabwe
AUTHORS:
George Hove, Thomas Rathaha, Precious Mugiya
KEYWORDS:
Environment, Environmental Management, Human Activities, Environmental Principles
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.8 No.10,
October
30,
2020
ABSTRACT: This study was proposed to explore the impact of human activities on the environment in Mhondongori. In this community, there are natural resources that include minerals, natural forest, wetlands, rivers and beautiful mountains. However, over the past two decades, the environmental quality of the community has deteriorated demonstrating irresponsible use of natural resources by humans. Indeed, if such poor natural resource management continues at the current rate, this would ultimately lead to extinction. Qualitative research design and convenience sampling methods were used. The study involved six participants who provided the data. An interview guide and observation techniques were used to collect data. Using content analysis data was classified into themes and a scorecard was used to determine the human activities on the environment and their impact. The results revealed that in Mhondongori, human activities that affected the environment were mining, veld fire, cutting down trees, overgrazing, excessive communal hunting and fishing, littering, water and air pollution. The impacts were the degradation of land, permanent scars on the landscape, deforestation, destruction of wildlife habitats, disappearance of wetlands, destruction of trees, grass, seed bank and seedlings, pollution of streets, bushes and rivers, disruption of migration and hibernation of animals. To conserve the environment, it was recommended that community leadership must develop appropriate environmental management strategies to mitigate these unfavourable impacts and that the state must empower Mhondongori leadership through reasonable legislative and other measures that would prevent environmental degradation.