Simuusa warns against forest depletion
Simuusa warns against forest depletionBy Fridah Nkonde in Ndola and Gift Chanda in Lusaka
Thu 22 Dec. 2011, 13:50 CAT
INCREASED timber harvesting without replanting can lead to depletion of forests and timber shortages in the country, says mines and natural resources minister Wylbur Simuusa.
And the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) has called for establishment of a forestry commission in a bid to curb deforestation.
During the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation Limited (ZAFFICO) 2011/2012 tree planting in Ndola on Tuesday, Simuusa said ZAFFICO would replant over four million seedlings covering about 3,000 hectares of land this year alone.
Simuusa said current demand for timber had increased to unprecedented levels due to a rise in construction and mining activities taking place in the country.
He said apart from replanting on the Copperbelt Province, ZAFFICO had projected to expand the tree-planting programme of establishing and managing industrial plantations in other provinces in the country.
Simuusa said to encourage private participation in the forestry sector, ZAFFICO had raised and offered for sale to the public 800,000 pine seedlings at a price of K2,000 per seedling.
He said the inspiration to revive tree planting could not have come at a better time than now when the entire world was grappling with global issues like global warming and climate change.
Simuusa said the increased demand for timber and the associated environmental needs was a clear wake-up call for all Zambians to double their effort in expanding forest plantation in all parts of the country.
"The forestry sector has the capacity to create employment to our people in all forest activities starting from planting, weeding, pruning, logging and processing of the wood into other timber products. Given the fact that trees are replaced after harvesting, I have no doubt that this industry is a haven for job creation in the country. For instance, ZAFFICO has currently engaged about 1,600 seasonal employees who are working in the plantation in Ndola, Ichimpe, Chati, and Lamba," he said.
Simuusa said the government was worried that despite the enormous job opportunities the forest sector had created, the private sector was not keen on investing in the industry.
He said the Patriotic Front government would encourage and render maximum support to investors who wanted to venture into the forestry sector.
Simuusa appealed to Zambians to change their attitude and take keen interest in the forestry sector.
And in an interview shortly after the launch of a policy brief on forestry on Tuesday, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) executive director Reverend Pukuta Mwanza urged the government and all key stakeholders to quickly act and save the country's forest cover from depletion.
He said a study recently done by EFZ revealed that the country's forest cover was under threat due to an alarming rate of deforestation, degradation, erosion, economic activities and unsustainable farming practices.
According to the United Nations' Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 66.5 per cent or about 49,468,000 hectares of Zambia is forested.
But between 1990 and 2010, Zambia lost an average of 166,600 hectares or 0.32 per cent per year.
In total, between 1990 and 2010, Zambia lost 6.3 per cent of its forest cover, or around 3,332,000 hectares.
Zambia was ranked among the top 10 countries globally in terms of deforestation between 2000 and 2006.
"One of our strong proposals to the government is that there must be strong funding towards the forestry sector so that there can be effective monitoring of the forests," Rev Mwanza said.
"In this regard we would like to see the establishment of the proposed Zambia Forestry Commission which should provide necessary regulatory roles as well as the certification process so that enhanced benefits can accrue to the Zambians."
Rev Mwanza said the establishment of the proposed Zambia Forestry Commission would be the surest way of ensuring that the management of forests was more sustainable and cost effective.
Meanwhile, the EFZ also recommended that the forestry policy be updated to provide a clearly defined thrust and direction as well as benefits.
It proposed that the forestry Act be amended to align it with existing monitoring and evaluation policy.
Labels: FORESTRY, TIMBER, WYLBUR SIMUUSA
posted by MrK @ 10:21 PM
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