1. Co-benefits Initiative Zambian Experience
Presented by: Davies Kashole
Forestry Extension Officer
Forestry Department
Zambia

2. OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
Background
Major Uses of Forest in Zambia
Challenges of Forest Management
Required Co-Benefits
Joint Forest Management
Lessons Learned
Conclusion

3. Background Zambia surface land area is 752,614Km2
Forests cover about 49.9 million ha (66% of land cover),
The forest vegetation type is mainly Miombo (Semi-evergreen forests); Baikiaea, Munga, Mopane, Kalahari woodlands (Deciduous Forests), Ripian, Swap, Parinari, Itigi, Lake basin Chipya (Evergreen forests), Termitary associated bushes (Shrub thickets), grasslands, wooded grasslands.
Plantations cover about 61,000 ha (7,000 ha under the Forestry Department and 50,000 ha under ZAFFICO, the rest by communities, farmers, schools etc.)
Growing stock = 2.9 billion m3, national biomass (below and above)= 5.6 billion tonnes & 434 million tonnes as dead wood biomass. TOTAL: 6 billion tonnes (ILUA 2008).
About 2.8 billion tonnes of carbon stored in forests

4. Major Uses of Forests in Zambia
The major uses and products from the forests are:
Wood products: e.g. poles, timber, firewood, charcoal
Non-wood forest products: e.g. honey, fruits, mushrooms
Environmental services: Protection of water catchment areas, soil erosion control, cultural and traditions, carbon storage and sequestration

5. Major Uses of Forest in Zambia Cont’d
(d) Offer employment opportunities in forest enterprises
(e) Business opportunities for household income generation

6. Challenges of Forest Management
The major problem is deforestation and forest degradation, which are caused by various factors:
Expansion of agricultural fields
Unsustainable fuel wood collection (charcoal production, and commercial firewood)
Uncontrolled forest fires
Over-exploitation of timber
Infrastructure development
Encroachment on forests and unplanned settlements
In adequate coordination in land-use planning and management

7. Challenges of Forest Management Cont’d
Agricultural
Expansion
Settlement
(In-Migrations)
Mining and
Mineral Exploration
Forest Production
(Livelihood)
Infrastructure
Development
Natural Disasters
(Flooding)

8. Required Co-benefits
Forests are the lungs of our planet, and if managed sustainably, hold the potential to provide subsistence for a huge proportion of world’s population, whilst averting future climate calamity in their capacity as vital carbon store and sink.
The services and products that forests provide to local communities are the obvious benefits to local communities.
Include conservation of forest biodiversity and maintenance of ecosystem services -

9. Required Co-benefits Cont’d
However, we need to promote benefits that add value in order to ensure biodiversity management:
Local communities being able to make and influence decisions in forest resource management
Revenue generated to contribute to local level development, supporting rural health centres, schools, feeder roads etc
Investments in value addition, e.g., small-scale forest enterprise development.

10. Joint Forest Management
The Zambian version of JFM is not one which aims at rehabilitation, but sustainable forest management.
Involves:
Developing local-level forest management structures (Forest Management Committees)
Developing management plans as a guide to land use and natural resource management
The plan, once approved, is then implemented
Promote enterprise and income generating activities

11. Lessons Learnt
In order to deal with benefits, there is a need to identify drivers of deforestation.
In Zambia, expansion of agricultural fields poses a challenge.
Defining an appropriate benefit-sharing mechanism is an incentive that can help sustainable forest management.
The definition JFM should not centre on a simple description of adjacent communities, but a broader land-use management approach.
It should be clear that there are benefits to accrue for communities and those for the resources (biodiversity).
Biodiversity can be well managed if the communities are able to improve their livelihoods.

12. Conclusion
For co-benefits to be promoted, there is a need to address the needs of local communities.
Government is now implementing REDD+ readiness and ILUA programs to help enhance co-benefits.
The potential of REDD+ to achieve multiple social and environmental benefits also bears the risk of causing social and environmental harm if the REDD+ programs are designed with a focus on emission reduction objectives only.
Zambia’s REDD+ Programme will focus on the possible institutional and governance structures that could facilitate attaining co-benefits and respecting safeguards.

13. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION