The Policy Monitoring and Research Center (PMRC) has recommended that the Zambian Government protects the Zambian forests against depletion and take stock of the resource availability for better planning.
The center says the recommended stock assessment of the timber resources must be conducted on a regular basis to ensure the country has accurate stock information.
In 2017 the Government banned the harvesting, transportation, trading and exportation of the Mukula tree in accordance with Statutory Instrument (SI) number 94 of 2015 and also mandated the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation Limited (ZAFFICO) to auction confiscated Mukula.
PMRC Executive Director Bernadette Deka says given the challenges that threaten the existence of Zambia’s forests and tree species such as the Mukula there is need to improve the capacity of local forestry departments which are poorly staffed, leaving vast areas of forest in different parts of the country open to illegal activities such as deforestation.
Ms. Deka says there is urgent need to shift local mindsets and attitudes towards the environment by encouraging the protection of tree species such as the Mukula by members of local communities.
She states that the National Forestry Policy and the Forests Act, which contain provisions for Community Forest Management (CFM), Joint Forest Management (JFM) and Private Forest Management (PFM) to supplement the forestry department’s lack of capacity to manage Zambia’s protected forest estate must be implemented for Zambia to realise its full potential and promote sustainable forest management practices.
She adds that this can be achieved through participation of communities, traditional authorities and NGOs in the management of forests to bolster capacity to manage, monitor and enforce the principles of sustainable forest management.
Ms. Deka further recommends that government needs to constantly assess and implement measures included in the Forests Act of 2015, including community, joint and private forest management to achieve diversification, wealth creation and attract investment in the forest/timber processing sectors.