By Zachary Gava
Harare, (New Ziana) -Zimbabwe has recorded 748 veld fire incidents since the start of the statutory fire season, with the blazes destroying more than 276 828 hectares of land, an official has said.
Environmental Management Agency (EMA) Environmental Education and Publicity Manager Amkela Sidange said this during a press briefing on veld fire management strategies and interventions in Harare on Tuesday.
The statutory wildfire period in Zimbabwe is generally observed from 31 July to 31 October, a period historically associated with dry, hot and windy conditions before the onset of effective rains.
The latest figures point to a worrying trend that while the number of recorded fires is lower than at the same period last year, the area burnt has increased significantly, highlighting the growing intensity and impact of veld fires across the country.
Sidange said climate change is extending the period during which the country is vulnerable to destructive fires, adding that the EMA fire-risk assessments had placed most parts of the country in the medium-to-high risk category for wildfires this year.
EMA uses computer-generated fire-risk predictions, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which assesses vegetation health and helps determine the potential fire risk as vegetation dries during the dry season.
The agency also considers previous fire patterns and activities taking place in different areas when determining risk.
Sidange said the assessments were critical in assisting authorities and communities prepare before the most vulnerable period of the year.
“Most of the country is between medium to high risk to wildfires this year,” she said, adding that the information was being used to identify areas requiring greater preparedness and intervention, with the threat compounded by the damage veld fires inflict on infrastructure, livelihoods and ecosystems.
Sidange said fires recorded in recent years had destroyed lodges, forestry resources, farming equipment and energy infrastructure, while also threatening human livelihoods and the ecosystem goods and services on which communities depend.
“Our concern really comes from protecting the ecosystem goods and services, because there are services and goods that we get in our ecosystems, so we are so keen to look at how best they can be protected,” she said.
According to the latest EMA figures presented at the briefing, 276 828.62 hectares had been lost to veld fires from the beginning of the current fire season.
However, EMA said the country had already suffered substantial losses before the official fire season began. During the pre-season period, 627 fire incidents had been recorded, destroying approximately 186 979 hectares of land.
One person had also died in a fire incident in Masvingo before the onset of the statutory fire season.
The figures demonstrate the changing nature of Zimbabwe’s fire season, with EMA noting that climate change and shifting seasons are resulting in fires occurring outside the traditional statutory period.
However, Sidange said the traditional timeframe was increasingly proving inadequate.
“Because of climate change, that statutory period is no longer sufficing to actually manage wildfires,” she said, noting that more fires were now occurring before the official start of the period and after its conclusion.
The Government has consequently been gazetting fire periods for specific years in response to changing seasonal conditions.
Despite the increase in land lost, the number of incidents recorded so far this year is lower than last year’s corresponding figures. During the comparable period in 2025, EMA recorded 794 fire incidents, which destroyed 240 796.6 hectares.
This year’s 748 incidents represent a 5.79 percent decrease in the number of fires.
However, the area burnt has risen by 13.02 percent, demonstrating that fewer fires can still result in greater environmental damage.
Sidange said EMA was strengthening monitoring and reporting through remote sensing and information supplied by communities, with the agency cross-checking the two sources to prevent double-counting.
EMA also provides regular updates on the wildfire situation, with information collected and disseminated weekly to help communities and authorities plan their responses.
Its interventions further include law enforcement, public education and awareness campaigns, and working with communities to prevent fires.
Sidange stressed that combating veld fires could not be left to one institution, but required a coordinated national response involving Government departments, the mining and agriculture sectors, landowners, local authorities, traditional leaders and communities.
She said stronger coordination among stakeholders was essential if Zimbabwe was to reduce the destruction caused by veld fires and protect the country’s natural resources, infrastructure and livelihoods.
New Ziana
