Communities sidelined as foreign developers dominate forest offset deals, says Musonda
A leading Zambian legal expert has accused carbon offset project developers of exploiting rural communities by excluding them from key negotiations over land use and revenue-sharing arrangements.
Lucy Musonda, Advocate of the High Court and Legal Researcher at the Centre for Trade Policy and Development, says Zambia’s push into carbon markets is leaving rural residents with little more than empty promises and restricted access to their own land.
“People who have lived on the land for generations are now being asked to change how they live, farm, or harvest without being given a seat at the table,” Musonda told kumwesu in a statement.
She criticized a growing pattern in which external developers arrive in forested districts with pre-drafted contracts and closed-door negotiations, often involving only local chiefs and not the broader community.
“In some districts, communities are simply told to suggest what percentage of benefits they’d like to receive,” she said. “But they’re not told what the total value of the project is. How can any share be fair if the total is concealed?”
Ms. Musonda, warned that such opacity could backfire. Without transparency and participation, she said, these projects are vulnerable to mistrust, disputes, and long-term failure.
“Restrictions on land use are being introduced without proper consultation,” she added. “This has devastating effects on food security, traditional livelihoods, and resilience at the local level.”
She acknowledged challenges such as deforestation and unsustainable land practices in rural areas, but said these cannot be used as an excuse to disempower the very communities expected to uphold conservation goals.
“If anything, it proves why partnerships should be built on mutual respect, shared responsibility, and full disclosure.”
Furthers, she stressed that rural communities must be treated not as passive recipients of ‘benefits,’ but as rightful co-owners of the land, the knowledge, and the carbon economy itself.
“If Zambia wants a credible and ethical carbon market, it must stop treating rural people as beneficiaries and start recognizing them as stakeholders from the very beginning.”
By Edwin Daka
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