The Ministry of Tourism Environment and Natural Resources has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Peace Parks Foundation of Netherlands on the implementation of climate change programmes in Zambia.
The projects will be implemented on the Zambian component of the Kasavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area and will cover an area of 1.4 million hectares of land.
Speaking during the signing ceremony of the MoU in Lusaka yestarday, Tourism Environment and Natural Resources Permanent Secretary, Teddy Kasonso, said the project will focus at development activities on land use and help reduce deforestation.
Mr. Kasonso said the project will also help in forest rehabilitation, fire management in the forest and provide local communities with alternative livelihoods and income streams.
He further said the project will ensure the development of financial vehicles and the transparent sale of generated carbon offsets.
Mr. Kasonso said the ministry has involved traditional leaders, and the communities to ensure that the programme is participatory and comprehensive.
Peace Parks Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Werner Myburgh, said the project that is jointly implemented with the Zambian government has become the world biggest conservation park to be implemented.
Mr. Myburgh said the conservation venture will greatly benefit Zambia as it will help market the Kasavango region.
The Kasavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area also covers Angola, Namibia Botswana Zimbabwe and Zambia.
ZANIS
Abena Zambia, ndiye nkhani yamene bafuna. Tu ma workshop so!
I know the Peace Parks Foundation from their work here in Germany. They are very consistent in their concepts of environmental preservation or Umweltschutz as they call it. Zambians can learn a lot from them.
While this idea is good, especially as it pertains reduction of deforestation, I wonder whether it will yield much looking at the disjoint between MACO, MTENR and other ministries. Ministries tend to be monolithic in approaches whereby you find MEWD promoting jatropha without consulting MACO. As if that is not enough these commercial approaches are contributing to land use change which present a challenge on METNR’s initiatives such as the one aimed at reducing deforestation. One professor pushing for jatropha even said “we have a lot of forests lying idle and all that people do is walk in and out of them without getting any benefits from them. Jatropha cultivation will put money in their pockets”. I am sure MEWD endorsed that comment since theirs is to promote availability of energy.
Thanks Peace …. Your coming to help Zambia will go a long way.
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Prevention is better than cure.
Great move….. thanks for helping Zambia