The planet is facing a growing water crisis, and climate change threatens to make it worse. For millions of people, access to clean water for basic needs is already a daily challenge. Furthermore, rising temperatures are stretching this critical resource even thinner. Ecosystems, along with the plants, animals, and humans that depend on them, are demanding more water to survive, while vital industries like agriculture and energy production compete for what remains. As global warming continues to diminish the availability of accessible water, the stakes are growing.

In this scenario, forests and trees emerge as silent and powerful allies. They are central to the global water cycle, playing an important role in ensuring water security. 

The Zambezi basin is the fourth-largest river basin of Africa, after the Congo/Zaire, Nile and Niger basins. Its total area represents about 4.5 percent of the area of the continent and spreads over eight countries. Its water resources are essential for the development and future of their population. 

Recognizing its importance and value, UN-REDD Programme's Technical Assistance to Zambia has focused its work on the headwaters of the Zambezi River, the area with the highest forest cover in the country. This has led to various assessments including one to explore the nexus between forests, water and climate. To this end, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) within the UN-REDD Framework and with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom Government (FCDO), the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), and the University of Zambia (UNZA) delivered a Forests-Water-Climate FWC assessment.

The results were officially presented during a workshop in Lusaka, Zambia on 6-7 November 2024.

Among the key findings of this assessment are the following:

1. Forest management by community forest management groups (CFMGs) can result in win-win outcomes for ecosystem services and community economic development, i.e. one of the modelling scenarios of forest management with low intensity thinning of specific trees, showed that this could have a water/carbon benefits, as well as allow communities to have an earning from timber. 
2. Data and tools can support decision making by communities as well as governmental actors such as forest or water authorities, including at district level for example in terms of the development of forest management plans or watershed management plans, evaluation of restoration initiatives and carbon projects.  
3. Capacity development and cross-sectoral participation are needed to ensure the available tools combined with shared knowledge can be used to improve decision making and forest management in the Zambezi headwaters. 

This workshop was followed by a week-long capacity development programme, which trained participants on the modelling tools used to undertake the FWC assessment.  

Over 43 participants including representatives from government agencies such as the Forestry Department, Zambia Meteorological Department, Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation, National Remote Sensing Centre, and the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) as well as the parastatal energy utility company, ZESCO attended the results-sharing workshop. His Royal Highness Chief Ntambu and members of Community Forest Management Groups (CFMGs) from Northwestern Province were also in attendance. Academia was represented by the University of Zambia, Zambia Forestry College and Copperbelt University. Civil society organizations also took part, such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Africa Regional Centre (CUTS), CIFOR–ICRAF, the FCDO-funded Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) project, Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO), WeForest Zambia, and the West Lunga Conservation Project (WLCP).

Empowering the next generation for better management of headwater forests of the Zambezi River

“This modelling exercise is very useful for our decision making and as it enhances our understanding of the linkages between forest water and climate. We can review our forest management plans where we did not consider these linkages”, said Mr. Steven Munyandi, a young professional community member, when presenting the results of the communities group work carried out during the results-sharing workshop. 

The two workshops facilitated robust discussions on ideas and initiatives as well as challenges faced in Zambia for managing headwater forests   especially when there are multiple priorities that generate trade-offs and synergies. For example, between charcoal production, carbon projects, water protection, timber harvesting, productive systems, and lack of options for local livelihoods.  They also clearly revealed the need for more regular communication and collaboration among forest- and water-related actors, to improve landscape level management of the Zambezi headwaters, as explained by the Government of the Republic of Zambia group that included representatives from the participating government agencies.

Additionally, the workshops featured a significant intergenerational aspect, blending the local forest management knowledge of experienced participants with the technological skills of young professionals from various sectors. This highlighted the importance of building on different skillsets and enhancing capacity of the next generation for improved management of forest resources in the headwaters of the Zambezi River. Youth can also play a key role in knowledge dissemination considering local contexts.

Through surveys, participants indicated that the workshops significantly shifted their views on forest management and its impact on water and carbon sequestration. Additionally, numerous participants noted that the assessment’s results were highly relevant to their work and to ongoing national processes, and that they plan to use the assessment tools for improved decision-making processes within their relevant institutions. Many expressed interest in additional capacity development on forest-water-climate modelling, community-based monitoring, sustainable forest management, modelling tools, fire management, and payment for ecosystem services, amongst others.

The forests-water-climate assessment in detail

The study involved field data collection on biophysical and socio-economic parameters, combined with state-of-the-art decision support tools and complex ecohydrological models to develop scenarios on the impact of various forest management interventions​ on ecosystem services. The assessment was undertaken in two tiers: tier 1 covered five districts in the headwaters of the Zambezi River and tier 2, focused on a sub-watershed in the Ntambu area of Mwinilunga district. 

The assessment offered detailed insights into how different approaches to forest management influence ecosystem services, such as water provisioning and carbon sequestration. Further, it revealed how specific forest ecosystem services can be enhanced or optimised through sustainable forest management, presenting new opportunities to align environmental and socio-economic goals through selective approaches to timber harvesting. The use of data-driven sustainable forest management techniques that consider trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services – as well as community forest management at the core – can enhance climate resilience and adaption capacity with impacts beyond the headwater of the Zambezi. 

Way forward 

The activities have once again confirmed that sustainable forest management can enhance ecosystem services, balancing environmental and socio-economic objectives. Building on the momentum generated by these efforts, FAO. Including in the framework of UN-REDD programme, and partner organizations will organize follow-up trainings with communities and government agencies to support decision-making on forest, water and landscape management. Findings will also be used to inform upcoming development of forest management plans and business case at district level, with the aim to protect and sustainably manage the headwaters of the Zambezi River. These actions would strengthen the uptake and application of the tools and learnings from this assessment.

Authors: 

Sara Casallas Ramirez, forestry officer, FAO

Jigchen Norbu, forest innovation consultant, FAO

This article was originally published by UN-REDD Programme

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