Zambia and Tanzania have signed an agreement on coordinated conservation and management of the Miombo and Mopane woodland ecosystem.
According to a statement obtained by ZANIS in Lusaka today, Ministry of Lands Public Relations officer Diniwe Zulu stated that the signing of the agreement was a milestone towards collaboration in sustainable management of important natural resource ecosystems across borders.
Tanzania was represented by its Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyalandu while Zambia was represented by Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Christabel Ngimbu.
Ms. Zulu said the treaty would enhance a coordinated approach between neighbouring countries in curbing illegal harvesting, trade and exportation of high value timber species like the Mukula tree and ensure that benefits accrue to current and future generations across borders.
She added that the agreement follows the regional summit to stop wildlife crime and advance wildlife conservation that was held in November last year in Tanzania.
Ms. Zulu said it was at that summit where the significance of enhancing the protected areas for wildlife forest resources was considered.
She said the Miombo woodlands are the most extensive warm dry forest type in Southern African tropical woodland, covering about 2.7 million square kilometres extending across Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Ms. Zulu said the ecosystems offers unparalleled socio, cultural, economic and ecological services sustaining rural communities, wildlife habitat, water sheds protection and carbon storage.
In other words, our Zambian diplomats and their Tanzanian counterparts met and asked one another, what kind of BS treaty can we cook up? And this is what they agreed.
If all this is going to work they need to look at ZAWA’s ethics and how these people work. They have a profile on Facebook and anyone who challenges or upsets them is met with a wrath of vengeance. They have updated their Facebook profile. Go have a look at how they communicate with people. Even the Zambian Tourism Board partly managed in the UK is the same. They can be rude and intimidating.