Communities Urged to Unite Against Wildfires as 2026 Fire Season Begins

By Wallace Mawire

HARARE – Communities across Zimbabwe have been urged to adopt a multisectoral approach to combat wildfires as the country enters the 2026 fire season.

Speaking at a veld fire management media briefing in Harare recently, Amkela Sidange, Environmental Education and Publicity Manager at the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), said the agency’s mandate is to prevent the degradation and pollution of natural resources and ensure their sustainability.

“Our concern comes from protecting ecosystem goods and services,” Sidange said. “There are services and goods that we get from our ecosystems, so we are keen to look at how best they can be protected, especially when it comes to veld fires.”

Losses and Risks

Sidange raised concern over the scale of destruction caused by wildfires in the past two to three years. Property lost includes lodges, forestry and farming equipment, and energy infrastructure.

“It’s also coming from the energy sector. We lost a lot of energy infrastructure. These are some of the things we consider, not excluding human livelihoods. That is also our major concern,” she said.

To address the challenge, EMA is prioritizing fire monitoring and reporting. The agency also identifies provinces that are most at risk and uses that data to prepare for the season and assess community vulnerability.

Sidange noted that communities become more exposed to wildfires as the dry season approaches. EMA said it is also applying law enforcement mechanisms to combat human-induced wildfires.

Multi-Sectoral Response Needed

She stressed that preventing and fighting wildfires cannot be left to one sector alone.

“If the country is to succeed in preventing wildfires or in fighting them, the duty of discouraging such incidences should not be relegated to one sector,” Sidange said.

She cited Statutory Instrument 7 of 2007, which sets the official fire season from 31 July to 31 October.
“By 31 July it will be dry, windy and getting hot — conditions which exacerbate the spread of wildfires. 31 October is when we usually expect the first effective rains,” she explained.

However, Sidange said climate change is shifting the fire calendar. EMA has observed more fires occurring before the statutory period begins and after it ends.

2026 Figures So Far

As of 31 July to date in 2026, EMA has recorded 748 wildfire incidences through remote sensing and community reports. A total of 276,828 hectares have been lost countrywide.

Even before the official season began, the country lost 186,979 hectares to 627 fire incidences. One person also died in Masvingo during the pre-season period.

“For climate change issues and seasonal shifts, the country begins to lose land even before we are in the fire season,” Sidange said.

Comparison to 2025

Last year, during the same period from 31 July to 31 August, Zimbabwe recorded 794 fire incidences and lost 240,796.6 hectares.

This year’s figures represent a 5.79% decrease in incidences and a 13% increase in area burnt within the corresponding period.

EMA continues to urge communities to work together, report fires early, and observe fire prevention laws as the dry, windy months continue.