5.1. INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED IN FOREST RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
5.2. POLICY ON SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT
The Zambia Forestry Department is under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and has the mandate to conserve and manage forest genetic resources in the country.
The Division of Forest Research of the Zambia Forestry Department has a well-established Tree Seed Centre. The Zambia National Tree Seed Centre is one of the specialized sections in the Division, whose objective is to provide and store sufficient tree seed of genetically and physiologically high quality of diverse species. In order to achieve the above objective, the Tree Seed Centre is involved in seed source identification, seed source management, seed collection, seed processing, seed testing, seed storage and distribution.
According to Palmberg-Lerche (1993), sustainable forest management refers to the administrative, economic, social, legal, technical and scientific aspects of the conservation and use of forests within the framework of a technically sound and politically accepted land use plan. It implies various degrees of human intervention, ranging from actions aimed at safeguarding and maintaining the forest ecosystem and its functions to favoring given socially or economically valuable species or groups of species for the improved production of goods and services. It should incorporate the principles of sustainable development and be able to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The Forestry Department's mission in Zambia, as stipulated in the National Forest Policy, is to ensure the sustainable flow of wood and non-wood forest products and services in the Nation, while, at the same time, ensuring protection and maintenance of biodiversity for the benefit of the present and future generations through the active participation of all stake-holders.
In order to achieve this mission, the Forestry Department, through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, has undertaken the following actions:
- The revision of the old Forest Policy of 1965 and the Forest Act of 1973 in order to allow for community participation in forest resource management and benefit sharing.The Government of the Republic of Zambia is also a signatory to a number of international conventions and protocols on the protection of the environment and biodiversity conservation. These include Agenda 21, Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Forest Principles, the Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Flora and Fauna.- The development of a Zambia Forestry Action Programme (ZFAP) which addresses various issues pertaining to development of the forestry sector including sustainable management of indigenous forests and biodiversity conservation.
- The proposed transformation of the Forestry Department into a Forestry Commission in order to be more efficient and independent from government bureaucratic procedures.
