Review Forestry Policy
By Pelekelo Liswaniso
LOOK around and you will enjoy the scenery of a green environment annually handed down to us by nature as our inheritance at this time of the year when the country is blessed with rain.
The surroundings, especially our forests, look lush and fresh because trees are growing and blossoming, which is a healthy sign. But this is deceptive. Somewhere deep in the forests, some illegal activities are taking place.
Charcoal burners are busy logging and burning trees. Other people are busy exporting timber illegally and getting filthy rich. Trees are being removed on a daily basis without due regard to the long-term effects this will have on our country. It’s green now, but for how long if deforestation continues unabated? This is a matter of serious concern.
Which is why we are greatly cheered by President Banda’s announcement on Wednesday that Government will this year review the country’s forestry policy with a view to improve management of the forest resources and curb illegal timber exports and charcoal burning.
Government is further determined to mainstream climate change issues which include the forests in all development plans and strategies to insulate the country’s economy from climate shocks.
President Banda assured the nation about these measures when a team of visiting European Union (EU) students, teachers and journalists paid a courtesy call on him at State House.
Hats off to the President! We urge the relevant authorities to follow up his concerns very seriously and ensure that our forests are protected.
The negative effects of deforestation are not a figment of academic conjecture – they are real and there for all to see. Apart from the well known fact of encouraging desertification, deforestation is a contributor to global warming and has been cited as one of the major causes of the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect refers to the change in the steady state temperature of the earth caused by the presence of an atmosphere containing gases that absorb and emit radiation. Zambia is part of the global village and should be seen to act along with other international players in reducing greenhouse emissions. It can do so by, for example, curbing rampant deforestation to help make the atmosphere clean.
The nation ought to know that deforestation also affects our water cycle. In a country where most of the people do not have access to clean or adequate water, any disturbance in the water cycle will spell nothing but disaster for many.
We should also point out that trees extract groundwater through their roots and release it into the atmosphere. When part of a forest is removed, there will be no trees to evaporate away this water and this results in a much drier climate.
Further, deforestation reduces the content of water in the soil and groundwater as well as atmospheric moisture. Deforestation also reduces soil cohesion, resulting in erosion, flooding and landslides. Now, floods and landslides are things nobody wants to see.
That’s why we welcome a review of our forestry policy to ensure that we have a framework for better management of our forest resources as a basis for the development of economic sectors such as agriculture and tourism while addressing the impact of climate change.
LOOK around and you will enjoy the scenery of a green environment annually handed down to us by nature as our inheritance at this time of the year when the country is blessed with rain.
The surroundings, especially our forests, look lush and fresh because trees are growing and blossoming, which is a healthy sign. But this is deceptive. Somewhere deep in the forests, some illegal activities are taking place.
Charcoal burners are busy logging and burning trees. Other people are busy exporting timber illegally and getting filthy rich. Trees are being removed on a daily basis without due regard to the long-term effects this will have on our country. It’s green now, but for how long if deforestation continues unabated? This is a matter of serious concern.
Which is why we are greatly cheered by President Banda’s announcement on Wednesday that Government will this year review the country’s forestry policy with a view to improve management of the forest resources and curb illegal timber exports and charcoal burning.
Government is further determined to mainstream climate change issues which include the forests in all development plans and strategies to insulate the country’s economy from climate shocks.
President Banda assured the nation about these measures when a team of visiting European Union (EU) students, teachers and journalists paid a courtesy call on him at State House.
Hats off to the President! We urge the relevant authorities to follow up his concerns very seriously and ensure that our forests are protected.
The negative effects of deforestation are not a figment of academic conjecture – they are real and there for all to see. Apart from the well known fact of encouraging desertification, deforestation is a contributor to global warming and has been cited as one of the major causes of the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect refers to the change in the steady state temperature of the earth caused by the presence of an atmosphere containing gases that absorb and emit radiation. Zambia is part of the global village and should be seen to act along with other international players in reducing greenhouse emissions. It can do so by, for example, curbing rampant deforestation to help make the atmosphere clean.
The nation ought to know that deforestation also affects our water cycle. In a country where most of the people do not have access to clean or adequate water, any disturbance in the water cycle will spell nothing but disaster for many.
We should also point out that trees extract groundwater through their roots and release it into the atmosphere. When part of a forest is removed, there will be no trees to evaporate away this water and this results in a much drier climate.
Further, deforestation reduces the content of water in the soil and groundwater as well as atmospheric moisture. Deforestation also reduces soil cohesion, resulting in erosion, flooding and landslides. Now, floods and landslides are things nobody wants to see.
That’s why we welcome a review of our forestry policy to ensure that we have a framework for better management of our forest resources as a basis for the development of economic sectors such as agriculture and tourism while addressing the impact of climate change.
posted by aydpels @ 12:43 PM
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