News / Regional
Deadly alien grass spotted in Mat-south
18 Mar 2014 at 15:46hrs | Views
Livestock in Matabeleland South is under siege from a poisonous alien grass, Lantana-camara, with a senior government official from the province calling for immediate intervention.
Former Matabeleland South governor Angeline Masuku told the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) parliamentary thematic committee recently that the alien grass was reportedly sprouting in the province, leaving villagers in fear of losing their livestock and grazing lands if action was not taken swiftly.
She said the province was still battling to extinguish another alien cactus plant.
"We are already facing challenges with (the) opuntia which kills livestock, but we have discovered another poisonous grass which is slowly creeping in. We are really worried that we may lose our livestock if the grass continues to spread so we call on responsible authorities to come to our rescue before people lose their livestock," she said.
Giving oral evidence to the same committee, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) director of Environmental Management Services, Aaron Chigona, said the grass spreads quickly and communities should take it upon themselves to clear it.
"Opuntia is no longer a rare species and always comes out in most of the dry parts of Zimbabwe, including Gutu, Zvishavane and some parts of Mashava. With Lantana-Camara, birds are the main transporters of this grass seed, as such it is very difficult to do away with at once. The clean up exercise is very expensive, the chemicals are expensive and it also requires that people put on protective clothing. Communities should remove the grass through the leadership in their local structures than waiting to be rescued by local authorities," he said.
Lantana-camara is an invasive flowery plant that is native to America. The shrub can grow to above two metres. It forms a dense and impenetrable thicket able to suffocates indigenous vegetation. The plant also smothers trees and vegetation, impacting on local biodiversity and reducing the amount of food available to livestock or wildlife.
The grass was first spotted in Zimbabwe in the late 1980s in Shamva, lining Nyahoko River and later in Victoria Falls, upstream Zambezi River. Lantana-camara can be removed with chemicals as well as physically.
Former Matabeleland South governor Angeline Masuku told the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) parliamentary thematic committee recently that the alien grass was reportedly sprouting in the province, leaving villagers in fear of losing their livestock and grazing lands if action was not taken swiftly.
She said the province was still battling to extinguish another alien cactus plant.
"We are already facing challenges with (the) opuntia which kills livestock, but we have discovered another poisonous grass which is slowly creeping in. We are really worried that we may lose our livestock if the grass continues to spread so we call on responsible authorities to come to our rescue before people lose their livestock," she said.
Giving oral evidence to the same committee, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) director of Environmental Management Services, Aaron Chigona, said the grass spreads quickly and communities should take it upon themselves to clear it.
"Opuntia is no longer a rare species and always comes out in most of the dry parts of Zimbabwe, including Gutu, Zvishavane and some parts of Mashava. With Lantana-Camara, birds are the main transporters of this grass seed, as such it is very difficult to do away with at once. The clean up exercise is very expensive, the chemicals are expensive and it also requires that people put on protective clothing. Communities should remove the grass through the leadership in their local structures than waiting to be rescued by local authorities," he said.
Lantana-camara is an invasive flowery plant that is native to America. The shrub can grow to above two metres. It forms a dense and impenetrable thicket able to suffocates indigenous vegetation. The plant also smothers trees and vegetation, impacting on local biodiversity and reducing the amount of food available to livestock or wildlife.
The grass was first spotted in Zimbabwe in the late 1980s in Shamva, lining Nyahoko River and later in Victoria Falls, upstream Zambezi River. Lantana-camara can be removed with chemicals as well as physically.
Source - zimmail
