Thursday, March 28, 2024

All Individuals and Entities that have Encroached on Forest Reserve Land must Vacate-Environment Minister

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The government has urged all individuals and entities that have encroached on forest reserve land to vacate and not wait for eviction notices.

Green Economy and Environment Minister Collins Nzovu has said that everyone is required to abide by the law and follow laid down procedures that guide the protection of forest reserves.

Mr. Nzovu said that the ministry will collaborate with the ministry of defense and home affairs to ensure the law is adhered to, adding that the government has observed with concern high levels of illegalities towards the country’s forest resource including the mushrooming of settlements in protected areas which include watershed areas resulting in the loss of 33 percent of forest cover across the country.

Speaking when he issued a ministerial statement in the National Assembly, Mr. Nzovu said that the uncontrolled harvesting of timber species such as Mukula and increased illegal cutting down of trees for charcoal production are among issues also affecting forest reserves.

Mr. Nzovu said that as a result of these illegal activities, forest reserves and water catchment areas have been seriously affected and that government is putting in place measures to halt the activities by evicting people who have encroached forest reserve areas.

Mr. Nzovu said that the security of forest reserves is important for the benefit of future generations as well as the conservation of the ecosystem.

31 COMMENTS

  1. Be fair here. Don’t start with poor people in settlements before sorting out the fat cats who illegally build in forest 27.

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  2. #1 That’s Why he’s pleading instead of issuing eviction notices. There sensitive toes there that he’s afraid to step on.

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  3. The forest was degazetted, whether this was done legally or not is not the issue. It was a bad decision, but a legal one that allowed people to purchase land legally within the forest. You cannot ask lawful land oweners to vacate without paying them for the land. The minister says people should follow the law, which law is he referring to in this case?

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  4. Lelo lelo!
    Finally a proper legitimate Government, NOT GHETTO KAPONYA JERABO TR1B4LIST Mafias, tu Piyefu!

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  5. @5. Why are you crying out loudest on this matter, are you a beneficiary? Some forests were degazetted deliberately to economically benefit a few people who were politically connected at the expense of the country and people living around there.

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  6. Yes, yes ……….

    Send in the bulldozers ………..

    Also that mine in lower zambezi should dissappear the same way lungu has disappeared……..

    Next ban transit of mukula through zambia from DRC , let’s not help the Chinese decimate our forests , DRC does not have the capacity to protect their forests…….

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  7. Nzovu has made a statement that doesn’t make sense, it seems he doesn’t know what to do. Leave that to Muchima at the Lands Ministry, he seems to be more mature. You know that most people, especially in the controversial Forest 27 have legal documents to be there. They won’t vacate without a fight. If you’re not ready to engage in that fight then just keep quiet. You can find other things to do. Southern province is slowly becoming a desert, what’s your plan for intervention?

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  8. Please ba Minister remove forest 27 de-gazette as a habitat and re-gazette it as a forest reserve… bulldozer all developments and let ministry of lands offer alternative land to those who developed per the law provided… that part of state lodge is now an eyesore with some ugly walls even by the roadside… it has killed homes for snakes and birds never mind disturbed the water table… then others are building complexes and yet that area was for ‘small holding’ we have even seen wall fences erected over communal streams..,. Destroy all such the PF were lunatics

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  9. #8  Ayatollah 
    November 12, 2021 At 9:06 am

    “Nzovu has made a statement that doesn’t make sense, ……… You know that most people, especially in the controversial Forest 27 have legal documents to be there. They won’t vacate without a fight. If you’re not ready to engage in that fight then just keep quiet. You can find other things to do. Southern province is slowly becoming a desert, what’s your plan for intervention?………”

    The degazzetting was done against all environmental advice……

    It is full of holes and can be legally reversed……

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  10. #5  Chiza Chirwa 
    November 12, 2021 At 7:49 am

    “The forest was degazetted, whether this was done legally or not is not the issue. It was a bad decision, but a legal one that allowed people to purchase land legally within the forest. You cannot ask lawful land oweners to vacate without paying them for the land. The minister says people should follow the law, which law is he referring to in this case?…”

    What ever legal cover the people in the forest hold was done against all environmental advice and is a danger to the national well being and survival of zambia as a country……….

    Climate change is real and the damage is an existential threat to any country………

    That degazetting must be treated as an existential threat to the nation……..

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  11. @Akaps, I mean Spaka AKA that other guy.
    I am not arguing that we need natural resources, and I am not blind to the deforestation going on in the country.
    We need that forest.
    However, whether the sound environmental advice was not adhered to, the people who paid for the land after that did so legally. There are more ordinary people owning land there than PF members.
    You cannot now ask people to leave without adhering to law, in this case, restitution.

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  12. Majority of them are upnd mps and senior officials. Why don’t you send an internal party email to your fellow criminals. You want to shine to show that you are working mambaIa iwe

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  13. Anyone looking for me at my offices, please note that I am currently on my way to meet a client who wants to buy one of my boats. I am selling my boat if anyone is interested. Price is around 70,000 usd. Contact me

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  14. @14 it was given at a song no money changed hands…its only those beneficiaries who knew the degazetting was fishy who resold the land to people who paid good money for it…some people part paid but now they growing cold feet….one new dawn mp appears on the list but he has told aisha it wasnt his plot….bulldoze….alternative land to be given…title to a land designated contrary to public policy cannot be good title…you receive a stolen car just because it is registered never mind the number of zra officials and ratsa bribed…at I have the white book so its legal…sha…kimasholi

  15. COLLINS! ON THIS ONE I AM WITH YOU 100%. I LIKE YOUR USE OF THE WORD “MUST”. LET US CORRECT THE MESS. ON A SERIOUS NOTE, AND GOING FORWARD, NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO CLEAR THE BUSH, FOREST RESERVES AND CATCHMENT AREAS WITHOUT THE APPROVAL FROM YOUR OFFICE. DEVELOPMENT MUST BE REGULATED IN THE LIGHT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR NEXT GENERATION USE. I PERSONALLY, I DON’T KNOW WITH YOU, DON’T LIKE THE WAY GRASSLAND AND BUSH ARE BEING CLEARED ALONG KITWE/CHINGOLA ROAD AND OTHER PARTS OF ZAMBIA IN THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT. THIS IRRESPONSIBLE HUMAN ACTIVITY HAS NEGATIVE EFFECT ON ECOLOGY TO SAY THE LEAST.
    I LIKE COLLINS’S RESOLVE (UPND) TO TAKE ON THE FIGHT, I KNOW IT WONT BE EASY BUT PLEASE DON’T GIVE UP UNTIL WE WIN AND ORDER IS RESTORED.

  16. #17 Spaka, Nzovu hasn’t said any of what you’ve referred to. He’s asking people to leave on their own, so me he doesn’t make sense. He knows that Forest 27 as de-gazetted. That fact that he and many UPND zealots don’t agree with that decision doesn’t make it illegal. If he’s man enough let him move with a bulldozer and demolish, he’ll see what humans are capable of. They’ll seize by the balls

  17. Why beating about the bush? Start with the rich forest 27 and let the poor people benefit from trees atleast as their last resort of survival. Especially that they don’t benefit anything from other natural resources

  18. As long as there no enforcers on forests and wetlands all efforts will not achieve much. In the past used to have “Kapenda Mabula) forest rangers and people never strayed into govt forest reserves as each location was well defined with plagues nailed on trees to clear visibility. Today most of the forest reserves have no rangers hence encroachment and deforestation mainly charcoal burning. In fact the areas that are very affected are in Nangoma, katuba, Chongwe, Kapiri Mposhi, Kafulafuta, Kamfisa are most affected ones. Govt should regard the shortage of forest rangers just like ay other sector of our needy ones such as education, health, defence and security services, fire fighting etc. Even the climatic conference held in Glosgow Scotland will not achieve anything for countries like…

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