Zambia Currently Losing Nearly 31 Hectres Of Forest Per Hour

By Michael Kaluba

Copperbelt University Dean at the School of Natural Sciences, Professor Felix Kalaba has revealed that Zambia currently loses approximately 31 hectares of forest equivalent to 51 football pitches per hour while some tree species are headed for extinction.

Professor Kalaba made this revelation in Kitwe today at the Forest Symposium held at Garden Court hotel by the Copperbelt University.

And First Republican President, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda said in a speech delivered through a video that it is disheartening to learn that Zambia is currently losing over 274,000 hectares of forest per year.

Dr. Kaunda says this calls for urgent mitigation efforts such as planting trees to reduce the impact of climate change after a recent United Nations report on climate change revealed that Zambia has the fastest disappearing forest in the world.

And former Republican President Rupiah Banda has called on all stakeholders to initiate the planting of indigenous trees to restore Zambia’s biodiversity and engage in landscape restoration.

Mr. Banda, who graced the symposium, has warned that Zambia risks failing to meet most of its sustainable development goals including those on ending poverty, access to clean and safe drinking water while the country would not benefit from the growing demand for tree products including Mukula on a global scale if no mitigating measures are undertaken.

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