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Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) has voiced strong concerns over the government’s recent approval of large-scale exploration licenses in the Lower Zambezi National Park, citing environmental risks and a lack of legal protections.
Maurice Nyambe, TI-Z Executive Director, recalled the 2014 decision by the former Patriotic Front (PF) government to approve a mining project in the park, a move widely opposed by environmental defenders and civil society.
Last year, the current administration reversed that decision after extensive advocacy efforts—a reversal celebrated by environmentalists and TI-Z.
However, Nyambe noted that in September 2024, the Mining License Committee approved two new large-scale exploration licenses, licenses 38439-HQ-LEL and 38572-HQ-LEL, for the same protected area.
“We recognize that no law currently bans mining in protected areas like national parks,” Nyambe said in a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday.
He added that while the Mines and Minerals Development Act of 2015 provided guidelines for mining in sensitive areas, it required stringent approvals from entities like the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPWL).
Read More: Directive to halt mining activities in Lower Zambezi National Park still in force —Nzovu
Nyambe criticised the government for re-opening mining in the Lower Zambezi, stating, “It is disheartening to see the current administration resurrect the issue that the previous government was condemned for.”
He warned that mining activities in ecologically sensitive areas risk lasting environmental damage.
TI-Z plans to monitor developments closely, pledging to collaborate with stakeholders to oppose any mining in protected regions.
Nyambe urged the government to align its policies with sustainable development and green economy goals, emphasising that mining should not occur in protected areas.
In June 2023, the Government suspended all mining operations in the Lower Zambezi, on the basis that Environmental Restoration Plan was not submitted by Mwembeshi Resources Limited to the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).
Meanwhile, in May, 2023, a Coalition of 53 Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders under the Save Zambezi, Safe Zambezi petitioned the High Court to halt Copper mining in the Lower Zambezi National Park.
The Coalition was composed of World-Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature, Conservation Advocates Zambia (CAZ), Wildlife Crime Prevention Zambia (WCPZ), Chiawa Chiefdom Youth among others.
WWF Chief External Engagement and Quality Assurance Officer Fungai Musana said the organization does not support the proposed mining project in the Lower Zambezi as it has potential to affect the ecosystem.
Musana said the Lower Zambezi National Park being an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category II protected area, should therefore only be used for nature and cultural conservation, scientific studies and tourism purposes.
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