GOVERNMENT says Zambia is facing with a number of challenges in reducing deforestation which is caused by various factors.
Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Dr Chileshe Mulenga said at the sensitisation workshop on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) for provincial and district stakeholders in Chipata on Tuesday that the forest resources continue to be under pressure both in quality and quantity.
Dr Mulenga said in a speech read on his behalf by provincial local government officer Macleod Nyirenda that the pressure was caused by a combination of factors such as extensive practices of shifting cultivation and slash and burn which was increasing demand for wood based energy.
He said firewood and charcoal has continued to be utilised of the known commercial indigenous three species on unsustainable basis like encroachment, over-grazing, forest fires and infrastructure development.
Dr Mulenga said comprehensive and integrated sustainable development approaches were needed to combat deforestation and forest degradation in order to expand the role of forests as carbon sinks.
He said forest-based approaches could make a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation.
“They are not, however the only solutions for climate change and should be pursued simultaneously with other measures including a shift towards low-carbon energy production and measures to assist the forest sector to adapt to climate change,”Dr Mulenga said.
At international level, he said proposals have recently been made to REDD in the potential scope of the post 2015 climate change regime.
He said an eventual post 2015 mechanism for REDD would most likely involve compensation for countries that reduce deforestations rates below historical national baselines.
Dr Mulenga said the basic idea underpinning REDD was leads to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
He urged the stakeholders with experiences to ensure that they provide guidance to the development of the national programme in order to develop a national strategy on REDD that would respond to the challenges.
This s a key issue that needs to be addressed, deforestation is way out of hand..alternatives must be found, let us take the task of tree replanting seriously..the ministry of environment should also have nurseries of indigenous trees and the usual pine trees, charcoal burners should be tasked themselves to buy these tree-lings by an Act of the Law..that is one way of curbing deforestation couples with alternatives such as the much talked about briquettes that are always being promoted but never seem to get the support they deserve.. its a sad sight the way our forests are begining to look..travel from Solwezi up to Livingstone and you will cry and the rate of deforestation and it is even worse far from the main roads…we are killing ourselves with the rampant cutting of trees.
meant to say NOT the usual pine trees..
The laws and guidelines are there but it is the implementation and political will that is lacking coupled with under funding, staff and expertise. In the last three years there has been two moratoriums on the timber industry by Simuusa and Suuba, but it remains to be seen what was the purpose of these suspensions. Nothing has changed on the ground except the classification of sawmillers. Things in Zambia are done for political expedience and not to serve the people or the environment. All these politicians care about are the votes and not doing the right thing.
Zesco with Rea working very hard to provide electricity to rural set up in an effort to mitigate deforestation.. The other one and very serious is timber exports, chirundu we are watching you,!
YOU GUYS IN OFFICES ARE GOOD AT TALKING BUT WITH NO IMPLEMENTATION. BYLAWS PROHIBIT CHARCOAL BURNING, BUT YOU OFFICERS STILL TOLERATE THE ACT BY THE PERPETRATORS. IF IT IS A NO, IT SHOULD BE A NO. CHARCOAL BURNERS SHOULD BE PROSECUTED ONCE CAUGHT. USERS OF CHARCOAL SHOULD EQUALLY BE PUNISHED. HOWEVER, ZESCO SHOULD AVAIL POWER TO EVERY COMPOUND IN EVERY TOWN.
Guys,
The solution lies in briquetting coal from Maamba colliery. I was involved in a similar project at a Columbian coal mine. There, we found:
That the briquetted coal lasted twice as long as wood charcoal.
The calorific value was higher.
Mined coal is cheaper than wood charcoal.
Initially, people were reluctant to switch to the new fuel source. Through NGOS, we got the message out to the masses and the conversion was completed within 3 years.
lets just shut up on some of these issues how do we cook if we have no charcoal electricity is expensive and our leaders are bent on stealing thus no proper runing of government,if a Zambian President dies in office then he never stole but if he does not die in office he is to appear in court for theft when he leaves office,examples are two on each side.What a country.
its a shame that we don’t have people who can act in Zambia we only have great talkers who are very good at talking but are less willing to do what they talk about, yes there is a problem of deforestation in Zambia and yes we have provided what should be done in order to stop this but the biggest question of all is who is going to make a stand for it and make it happen? we have talked enough and we will keep on talking over and over again lets put our hands together now and not our heads, its high time we stand up and start doing what we talk about because talking will not do use any good any more we have talked enough and now its time to do something about it talking