My Tree Story: Linda Muteeri.

My name is Lindah Muteeri. I grew up in the town of Chinhoyi where many indigenous trees have been lost due to urbanization. I remember on many occasions   going to nearby forests in search of firewood for cooking due to incessant power outages. Quite saddening about this reality is that the trees were being harvested without any corresponding reforestation activities. Consequently there came a time when it became difficult to find firewood in nearby forests because there were very few trees left.

 

l realised that our harvesting practices were unsustainable and this inspired me to study wildlife, ecology and conservation. Luckily I got attached at Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe Trust an organization into afforestation where for the past year I leant more about Forest Landscape Restoration. The highlights included learning about seed collection, raising seedlings, growing trees from truncheons and managing outplanting areas.  I believe that l will go a long way with all the knowledge acquired at EBZ in terms of rehabilitating and restoring degraded and deforested ecosystems.

 

If you were a tree, what would you be and why?

 

If l were a tree, l would be a sclerocarya birrea also know as Marula. It is a fruit tree with tremendous potential for development, it symbolises me a lot because of it’s natural  ability in terms of potential hence my selection of it as being a capable female environmentalist were it to turn a human being.

 

The fruit of the Marula tree is used to make the popular commercial liqour (Amarula), jam, fruit juice, nuts and oil. Same with me I’m more of a perfectionist seeking  always to be efficient and embracing a  solution seeking behaviour to real life issues.

 

Instead of it just being a popular wild fruit, the (name of  tree) can be developed into a dependable source of income for rural communities in southern Africa. So this resonates so much with my career aspiration since l am someone who has a keen interest in Community development hence the need to work with marginalized communities through  educating  and enhancing awareness on sustainable use of forest resources at the same time using them to improve their livelihood.

 

The major advantage of the Marula over exotic fruit trees is that it is drought-tolerant and relatively easy to grow in dry Climate conditions. And it best describes me since lm someone who is resilient and  can blend in seamlessly in any environment.