Environmental Protection and Economic Development in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The main objective of the paper is to assess the implications of the business expansion approach to economic development in Zimbabwe on the quality of the environment. In terms of the research methodology, the research adopted a mixed methodology and utilized a parallel semantic convergent research design. The study gathered data using questionnaires, interviews, and observations from the 600 randomly selected businesses from the agriculture, entrepreneurship, and small-scale mining sectors. Data were analyzed using STATA. The paper hypothesized that there is no significant relationship between entrepreneurship, mining, and agricultural activities under Zimbabwe’s expansion business approach and environmental protection. The findings have highlighted that Zimbabwe is dominated by illegal entrepreneurship, peri-urban agriculture, and artisanal mining activities. Such illegal activities negatively affect the quality of the environment in Zimbabwe. There is a lot of environmental degradation and land pollution associated with the expansion of nonformal and illegal business activities in Zimbabwe. However, the paper concluded that illegal agricultural, mining, and entrepreneurial activities which have been expanding since 2008 in Zimbabwe are affecting the quality of the environment. In terms of policy implications, it is necessary to put in place institutional instruments and enforcement mechanisms to protect the environment under the Zimbabwe expansion business approach.