Nature, Conservation and Conflict in Eastern Zimbabwe: Chirinda Forest, 1980–2000

Centred on the nexus between people and the environment, this article examines contestations over the ownership and use of resources from Chirinda Forest in eastern Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2000. During this period, a parastatal body, the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe, managed all state-owned indigenous forests. As a conservation measure, this parastatal denied communities within the immediate vicinity of state-owned forests any access to forest resources. A case in point was Chirinda Forest. Being ‘equatorial’ in nature, but situated in a predominantly savannah climate, Chirinda Forest was a unique piece of natural heritage. While the state’s conservation policies were inspired by aesthetic, scientific and educational considerations, the surrounding communities treasured it for practical purposes. This study demonstrates that the approaches characteristic of state-centred conservation and development marginalised large numbers of those living in the surrounding communities, who, in response, resorted to clandestine acquisition and use of forest resources and, in the process, created enduring conflicts with the Forestry Commission.