The Ministry of Green Economy and Environment has assured cooperating partners and the general public that the Ministry will accelerate the implementation of the outcomes and recommendations from the national forest indaba.
The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, John Msimuko said his ministry will also quickly facilitate the finalisation of the policy brief on the outcomes of the meeting that will be conveyed to higher authorities for action.
Mr Msimuko said this when he officially closed the two-day national forest indaba which was organised to discuss issues concerning unsustainable charcoal production and encroachments on forest areas.
He stated that the indaba was organised with the intention to provide an opportunity to a wide range of stakeholders to be part of the process of finding long term solutions that would influence policy review and formulation.
The Permanent Secretary said he was delighted to see the interest from a variety of stakeholders who took part in the important discussions and thanked them for participating and staying till the end of the meeting.
“I am aware that the participants to this gathering included government agencies, civil society organizations, the private sector, academicians and cooperating partners. I am also aware that apart from the more than 70 participants that physically attended the meeting, an average of 100 participants virtually attended the meeting,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Director Forestry, Ignitius Makumba said the participants came up with draft charcoal regulations which needs to undergo further consultations from stakeholders and traditional leaders.
He said traditional leaders have been given a copy of the draft regulations, adding that they are free to make submissions to the Ministry.
And a living stone-based environmentalist, who is also called Southern Province Ambassador for forestry and nature conservation, Benjamin Mibenge called on the Ministry to encourage residents to plant indigenous trees.
I wish some of the proposed solutions were highlighted. People still need to cook in rural areas. Without electricity, there will always be need for wood and charcoal. Deforestation will not stop without alternative sources of energy.
Was this the usual discussion about the effects of deforestation, it’s effects and how to overcome it?
Ignoring reality: a charcoal ban was NOT discussed! How can you protect the forrest if behind your back somebody chops down trees to turn them into CHARCOAL???
At the rate trees are cut down for charcoal, this country will be without trees in 20 years. Personally I don’t like cowards. We did not elect UPND to be cowards but to take bold decisions for the good of our mother land 10 years down the line. I want to see a complete ban on charcoal burning. In this country we have enough brains to arrive at how this can be done. there is nothing impossible under the sun. A few thousand Km North west of us there is a country called Rwanda where it is a crime to cut a tree in your backyard without government approval. Our GRZ must do the same to save this country from irresponsible people. each time I drive to from the Copperbelt to Lusaka, I get very angry seeing trucks loading hundreds of thousand bags of charcoal destined for Lsk, the very seat of…