Livelihood-led Environmental Degradation and its Consequences for Habitability of the Area Around Lake Chivero, Zimbabwe: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This systematic review examines how livelihood activities relate to environmental degradation in the Lake Chivero Catchment Area, Zimbabwe, and evaluates the impacts on the area‘s longterm habitability. Motivated by the lake‘s serious ecological decline over the past 30 years, despite being a vital water source for over 2.4 million people, a population 10 times its original capacity, the study employs the Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Framework and Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework. It synthesizes evidence from 67 peer-reviewed studies found through a systematic search of the Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science databases, following PRISMA guidelines. Results show that livelihood activities, such as sand mining, brick moulding, urban farming and informal waste disposal, although providing short-term survival benefits, have collectively caused significant environmental harm. Indicators reveal a reduction in lake depth from 28 to 18 metres, an elevenfold increase in nutrient inflows between 2000 and 2012 and sedimentation filling 18% of the lake‘s capacity. Institutional failures, including weak enforcement of environmental laws, underfunded sewage systems and poor governance, have worsened these ecological stresses. The review advocates a comprehensive intervention plan that includes infrastructure upgrades, enforcement of the polluter-pays principle, alternative livelihoods and ecological restoration to prevent a predicted ―2050 Doomsday Scenario‖ in which the lake may become unusable. Without such integrated efforts, the study warns that the lake‘s habitability will remain critically endangered, risking human health and ecological stability.