Chimanimani Rural District Council (Environmental and Natural Resources Conservation) By-laws, 2025
Chimanimani's environmental by-laws require notice before burning vegetation, firebreaks by 31 July each year, rehabilitation plans before any mining or extraction project, and let the council rehabilitate land and bill the owner.
These by-laws cover the Chimanimani Rural District Council's environmental duties: a local environment action plan and its amendment, grazing and cultivation areas, conservation of natural resource areas, waste management sites, environmental impact assessments, rehabilitation on abandonment, environmental works by the council, burning of vegetation and fire prevention, invasive alien species, protection of wetlands, an environment committee and sub-committee, sleighs and farming implements, cutting of trees, forest produce, extraction of gravel, stone, river and pit sand, brick making, protection of water sources and general environmental protection.
Anyone undertaking a project for commercial exploitation of natural resources — including mining and resource extraction that causes environmental damage — must lodge a rehabilitation plan with the council setting out the works to be done before abandonment or closure, and must rehabilitate before closing. The council monitors implementation with EMA's assistance, and failing to rehabilitate is an offence carrying a fine set by the council.
Where an owner or occupier asks the council to carry out environmental works, or fails to do them, the council may do the work and recover the cost from the owner or occupier.
Fire control is specific: no one may burn growing or standing vegetation without lodging a notice of intention to burn with the council, traditional leaders, the environmental sub-committee, EMA, the Forestry Commission, neighbouring occupiers or the nearest police station, in line with section 67 of the Forestry Act. Every land owner, user or occupier must have fire protection measures in place before 31 July each year, must put out any fire on their land, and everyone in the vicinity of a fire must help extinguish it whoever started it.
The extract available here was truncated before the remaining sections and the schedules, so the specific fees and fines should be read in the instrument itself. Fines are in several places set as "prescribed by Council" rather than in the by-laws.
What changed
- Rehabilitation plans must be lodged with the council before commercial resource extraction, and the site rehabilitated before closure
- The council may carry out environmental works and recover the cost from the owner or occupier
- Notice of intention to burn vegetation must go to the council, EMA, Forestry Commission, traditional leaders, neighbours or police
- Fire protection measures must be in place before 31 July each year, with a duty on everyone nearby to help put out a fire
- The by-laws also regulate wetlands, invasive species, tree cutting, sand and gravel extraction, brick making and waste sites
Who this affects
- Land owners and occupiers in Chimanimani district
- Farmers burning vegetation or clearing land
- Miners and resource extraction projects
- Brick makers, sand and gravel extractors, timber cutters
- Council environment committees and EMA
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.