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Government says the forest sector continues to face serious challenges resulting from illegal and uncontrolled bushfires and charcoal production, over-exploitation, land clearing for agriculture, and illegal settlements.
Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Permanent Secretary, Douty Chibamba, said government has, however, been working closely with partners, both local and international, to improve the livelihoods of forest-dependant communities.
Chibamba said this in a speech delivered on his behalf by Director for Climate Change and Natural Resources Department at the Ministry, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, at a High-level Ministerial Dialogue on Zambia’s implementation status of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use in Lusaka on Friday.
“The most pressing problems in the forestry sector are deforestation and forest degradation, soil erosion and fertility loss, watershed degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Deforestation and forest degradation, which are major problems in the forestry sector, can be attributed to several reasons,” he said.
Chibamba said as a result of llegal and uncontrolled charcoal production, over-exploitation, uncontrolled bushfires, land clearing for agriculture, and illegal settlements, the country experiences a high level of environmental degradation.
“The forestry sector in Zambia is very important to national development and human welfare. Forests provide a variety of benefits, which include food, fuel wood, building materials and medicines. The forests protect the environment thus enhancing food production,” he said.
Chibamba said government remains committed to the Glasgow Declaration on Forests and Land Use and considers the Declaration as a critical step in recognizing forests as critical in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.
He has since saluted Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) for implementing a project called the ‘Stop The Chop’ Campaign with support from the Government of the United States of America and the Zambia United States Exchanges Programme.
Chibamba said this is done by empowering them through strengthening cooperation arrangements in the areas of finance, trade, transfer of environmentally sound technologies, capacity-building and governance, as well as by promoting secure land tenure, particularly decision-making and benefit-sharing, in accordance with national legislation and priorities.
“Furthermore, we have been working on reforms on timber harvesting and monitoring of forest concession licenses to strengthen forest governance frameworks in order to achieve sustainable forest management,” he said.
CEJ Board Chairperson Vincent Ziba, in a speech delivered on his behalf by CEJ Board Member, Emmanuel Mutamba, said the Civil Society Organization organized the High-level Ministerial Dialogue with the support of from Zambia United States Exchange Alumni Association (ZUEA) and the government of the United States of America with a focus on Zambia’s implementation status of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use under the Stop The Chop Campaign.
Ziba said the innovation is responding to the 2021 Environmental Protection Dialogue (EPD) resolutions on forest ecosystem restoration held in October 2021 and the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use on November 12, 2021 meant to end deforestation by 2030.
“This Dialogue represents our unwavering determination to safeguard the health of our forests and the sustainable use of our land resources. It underscores our responsibility to mitigate climate change, enhance resilience, and promote sustainable development in line with the united nations sustainable development goals,” he said..
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