Mining Sector Engagement And Integrated Landscape Management

Forests cover around 45 million hectares in Zambia, or over 60% of the total land area. The Government of Zambia is aware of the prevailing high deforestation rate in the country, which is estimated between 250,000 – 300,000 hectares per year, and one of the top 10 countries with the highest deforestation rates in the world. The main direct drivers of forest degradation is charcoal production and illegal timber extraction, while drivers of deforestation are primarily agricultural and human-settlement expansion (Turpie et al, 2015). Mining activities play a key role in driving these activities, though there are regional and historical differences in forest transition patterns. The Government of Zambia decided in 2009 to participate in REDD+ as an opportunity to directly address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation (Zambia, 2015).