The Forestry Department in Sinazongwe District has expressed worry over the rampant degradation of forests caused by human activities.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Sinazongwe District, Forestry Department Senior Technician Janet Chikololo said there are serious challenges of woodland destruction caused by illegal human activities in the protected forests.
Ms. Chikololo said some of the destructive activities involve cutting down of trees for timber, charcoal, fire wood, and non-forestry products like Traditional roots for traditional medicine.
She is concerned that the human activities are being undertaken without following procedure.
Ms. Chikololo said a sensitization programme focusing on forest policies, principles, and the Forestry Act is underway.
She said this will help people acquire knowledge on the procedures of accessing various forestry products including licenses for the production and conveyance of charcoal at affordable fees.
Check the Chinese Mines at Collum Coal who use timber for reinforcing the mine shafts. Control contractors involved in bush clearing also. they cut all the promising indigenous trees in the suburbs.
They are destroying the forests under instruction from HH
The law is there but not enforced that is our weakness as Africa but a strength for the developed world. Cut a tree in Australia and you will dance to the tune of law and so should be done in Zambia but first let us invest in alternatives to tree charcoal use. There are machines which people can invest in which use things like maize stalks, saw dust etc to make some coal to use in place of charcoal from our precious native trees. If our beautiful people can invest in these and produce charcoal, then we can reduce tree charcoal.
There is more we can do to avoid further destruction; there is need for a holistic approach