1.1 Scarcity of trees

This is caused by:

1. Selling of firewood and making of charcoal;
2. Opening of new gardens, especially tobacco estates;
3. Burning bricks;
4. Increasing human population in relation to available land;
5. High electricity tariffs;
6. Lack of incentives to plant and tend trees;
7. Woodcraft (wood carving);
8. Inadequate forest patrolmen and extension workers;
9. Diminished powers for traditional leaders over customary forests;
10. Insufficient forestry extension services;
11. Bush fires;
12. Digging up and debarking plants for medicinal use; and
13. Non-compliance with forestry protection norms.

Water is becoming scarce because of:

1. Cutting down trees in water catchment areas and along river banks;
2. Uncontrolled burning of bushes;
3. Cultivation on steep slopes and river banks;
4. Planting wrong species of trees along river banks, for example, bluegum.
5. Early drying-up of rivers;
6. Sedimentation of rivers and lakes due to soil erosion; 
7. Insufficient provision of boreholes and wells; and 
8. Poor and unreliable rainfall.

Water is degraded due to:

1. Soil erosion;
2. Uncontrolled disposal of waste into rivers from hospitals and industries;
3. Bathing and washing clothes in rivers;
4. Building pit latrines close to wells;
5. Digging wells close to, and below graveyards; and
6. Agrochemical run-off.

The main causes of soil erosion and declining soil fertility are:
 

1. not following modern methods of farming;
2. farming in the same place continuously (mono-cropping);
3. non-application of manure;
4. applying inappropriate types of fertilisers;
5. cultivating in river catchment areas and on steep slopes;
6. moulding bricks close to river banks;
7. lack of consultation between agriculture and road constructors in constructing mitre drains off the roads;
8. wanton cutting down of trees;
9. grazing animals in the same area; and
10. uncontrolled burning of bushes.

This problem is caused by reckless and indiscriminate cutting down of indigenous fruit trees.

Scarcity of wild animals and birds is due to:

1. destruction of habitat due to:
• depletion of the forests;
• uncontrolled bush fires; and
• over population of human beings.
2. excessive hunting of wildlife for food and trophies;

(A) Rivers

This has arisen from:

1. catching fish using poison.
2. damming rivers to kill the fish in enclosed water bodies;
3. drying-up of rivers; and
4. fishing at river estuaries where fish breed.

The decreasing fish resources emanate from:
 

1. increase number of fishermen;
2. non- compliance with proper fishing regulations;
3. destruction of breeding areas; and
4. over-fishing due to improved fishing methods.

This is as a result of:

1. depletion of natural forests; and
2. digging up and excessive debarking of trees of medicinal values.

Flooding is caused by high run-off which is a result of:

1. cutting down of trees at river sources and along river banks; and
2. cultivating on hills and steep slopes.

This is due to:

1. over-population;
2. proliferation of tobacco estates;
3. extensive stony and sandy soils; and
4. big national parks and wildlife reserves.

The increasing scarcity of thatching grass is caused by:

1. decreasing areas left for grass to grow;
2. uncontrolled bush fires; and
3. uncontrolled grazing of livestock.

This is due to:

1. increasing livestock population in relation to the grazing areas; and
2. increase in number of gardens and estates.

This is caused by:

1. letting sewage drift into rivers and other inappropriate areas;
2. bursting of pipes; and
3. lack of proper handling, transportation and disposal of sewage.

This happens when people:

1. burn bricks.
2. saw timber and engage in carpentry works;
3. make charcoal;
4. open new gardens and farms anyhow;
5. crush stones for building;
6. make woodcraft; and
7. open up new roads.

This is basically accentuated by deforestation and climatic change.