WAR AGAINST DEFORESTATION CONTINUES

It is estimated that "60 percent of the country's total land area which is equivalent to 752 000 kilometre square is covered with natural forests. 

Of these forests, about 7.2 million hectares are under government control in the form of forest reserves, which are 432 in number.

In addition, there are 6.4 million hectares of national parks and 15.6 million hectares of game management areas."

But efforts to protect and safeguard these natural resources by authorities seem to be literally in vain mainly due to continued deforestation which is one of the major causes of enhanced greenhouse effects.

Deforestation in Zambia mainly occurs through the cutting down of trees for charcoal burning, agriculture production or firewood purposes.

Loads of logs awaiting transportation

Forests are rapidly vanishing as research shows that, "Zambia’s deforestation rate is the highest in Africa and fifth globally, with an average loss of between 250,000.and 300,000 hectares of forest annually"

With a population of over 14 million people and with over 85% of the population living on less than 2 United  States(US) Dollars per day some, scholars attribute the growing numbers of people perpetuating the scourge to high poverty levels.

Charcoal trade continues not only threatening the country's forest areas but also frustrating efforts to reduce carbon emissions by 47 percent as per requirement under the Paris Agreement which President Edgar Lungu signed in 2016 during the 71st United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, United States of America.                                                                                                                                                                                                The overall objective of the Agreement is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees.

By signing this agreement Zambia renewed its commitment and resolved to take action in order to attain sustainable prosperity, safeguard the health of the people and the planet.

But is this attainable, how is charcoal production impacting on the country's aspirations to limit its carbon emission and what could be the possible solution to this scenario?

At the market in Chawama compound behind Chawama Secondary School fence, Mary Ngambi is packaging charcoal in 25 Kilogram sacks, ready to display, at her stand.

Woman pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with a 25kg bag of charcoal     

"It's the only way I earn a living," Mary says, declaring that she is ready to stop selling charcoal if only she can be empowered with capital to open food outlet.

She adds, "I have heard and I know that the cutting down of trees is not good for the environment as it one of the causes of climate change" but justifies that lack of employment gives her no option. She showed me how she packs the charcoal in 25 and 50 kilograms sack bags to entice people to buy the commodity.

Another Trader John Daka who is a business partner to Mary Ngambi says " I started this business [charcoal selling] some 10 years ago with just a few bags but, today my business has seen a massive expansion.

John a father of 5 children boasts managing to meet his daily basic needs including paying rentals and his children's school fees. 

Yes it is a lucrative trade, a 25 Kilogram bag sells around 120 and Mary and John can produce 12 bags or more each, per day.

But this does not change the fact that charcoal production is also highly destructive. 

Charcoal burners often cut down a wide area of trees to get to the wood that makes the best coal.

Nachilala Nkombo WWF Zambia Country Director  

World Wildlife Fund for Nature in Zambia           (WWF) Country Director, Nachilala Nkombo explains how deforestation in any form, especially the cutting of trees for Charcoal production leads to global warming.

She observed that trees play a huge role in the carbon cycle. They convert the Carbon dioxide in the air to oxygen, through the process of photosynthesis, and in this way, they can be looked at as a natural regulator of the carbon dioxide. The more trees, the less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the more oxygen.

"When deforestation occurs it means that as a country we are emitting a lot more greenhouse emissions in the air thereby polluting the environment, which subsequently affects our rain cycle. When our rainy cycle is affected it means we cannot predict our agriculture season," she explained.

"Any healthy River source needs to have a well-functioning forest system. But when the forests and water sources are destroyed, it simply means that we are putting the country into some form of water insecurity. Secondly, deforestation also leads to the destruction of habitat for important wildlife animals as well as species which may result in them becoming extension"

In view of the negative impact of deforestation on climate change, the country needs to intensify efforts to protect its forest areas or drought will become the order of the day.

But to achieve this, people whose livelihoods entirely depend on charcoal production need to be empowered with alternative sources of income. For instance, those who rely on Charcoal and Firewood for their energy consumption equally need to be sensitized on the need to switch to using Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG).

A Lusaka based mechanical engineer envisages it is possible  for Zambia to meet its target of limiting Carbon Emissions by 47 percent in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change if only the country intensifies investment  in alternative sources of energy.

Professor Francis Yamba

"If we adopt friendly technologies, renewable and efficient energy  it is possible to reduce emissions and reduce temperature to 2 Degree Celcius," Professor Francis Yamba who is also the Director at the Center for Energy, Environment and Engineering Zambia said.

"So we need to divert from using charcoal and firewood and move to use Liquid Petroleum Gas(LPG). This is a very good alternative source of energy for cooking. In rural areas where they use firewood they can switch to biogas," he advised.

Professor Yamba adds that in a country like Zambia where only 3 or 4 percent of the rural community has electricity, renewable energy technology can be important as a source of power to the mostly small scale farmers.