High rate of deforestation worries C/Province extension officer

High rate of deforestation worries C/Province extension officer
Written by Justin Katilungu in Kabwe
Sunday, September 06, 2009 7:02:32 PM

ACTING Central Province principal extension officer Moses Mwabunga is saddened with the high rate of deforestation the province continues to experience.

During a workshop on forestry policy review in Kabwe yesterday, Mwabunga said that Central Province should take the lead in making meaningful contribution to the review of the forestry policy to curb the high rate of deforestation.

Mwabunga urged participants to the workshop to provide strong points to formulate a sound forestry policy that would curb deforestation.

Earlier, when he officiated at the workshop, Central Province Permanent Secretary Denny Lumbama said the reviewing of the Forestry Policy of 1998 was cardinal in addressing environmental challenges such as climate change and global warming.

He said that since the Forestry policy was formulated in 1998, a number of challenges and issues had emerged.

"Prominent among these is the issue of climate change and global warming and the role of forests in mitigating impacts from this phenomenon. There is also the business side of the climate change and mitigation known as carbon trading which is not emphasised in the policy but presents great opportunity for the forestry sector," said Lumbama.