Forest conservation
Appropriate conservation and management of the
Basin’s natural forests can produce high environmental
benefits. The most important functions of
natural forest resources for the SADC countries’
economies are:
- Forest environmental protection;
- Provision of specialised local forest products;
- Support to wildlife activity and eco-tourism.
The SADC Forestry Sector aims to promote sustained
regional self-sufficiency in forest/wood products,
enhance the productive and environmental value
of trees, and protect, manage and control forest
resources. The sector has a revised forestry policy and
development strategy, approved by the SADC Council
of Ministers in September 1997 while the development
of the Forestry Protocol started in March 1999.
The Zambezi Basin states share concerns regarding
irregular or uncertain supply of raw materials, overexploitation,
and insufficient reforestation. All national
forestry programmes are intended to ensure the conservation
and sustainable development of forest
resources. Associated objectives shared by most of the
countries are sustainable supply of goods and services
from their forests, maintenance of forest productivity,
and rationalisation of forest resource utilisation.
A major constraint in sustainable forestry management
is that information regarding appropriate management
systems for various indigenous forest types is
lacking in most of the basin states. This is partly attributed
to past national forestry policies which gave higher
priority to the establishment, management and
protection of exotic softwood and hardwood forest plantations
than to the indigenous forests. The problem can
be addressed through forestry research and participatory
management systems based on community needs.
All basin countries are involved in programmes
aimed at reducing dependence on woodfuel, particularly
in rural areas. Afforestation and environmental
awareness programmes are conducted in basin countries
by the governments, NGOs, donors, private sector
and the public to ensure sustainable use of woodfuel.
A number of southern African countries have
community-based natural resource management
programmes seeking to demonstrate that sustainable
use and management of natural resources is a viable
economic alternative for communities living in marginal
areas.
In some basin states, such as Zimbabwe, there are
well-established management rules that prevent cutting
trees associated with cultural protected areas
and that encourage selective cutting of woodland. In
some instances, the rules are reinforced by modern
institutions and in others by traditional leaders,
especially woodland patches associated with protecting
gravesites.
Over the last 20 years, there has been a major
shift towards greater participation by stakeholders in
the management of forests and woodlands worldwide.
This follows the realisation that many of the
problems associated with depletion of natural
resources are due to the exclusion of the public
from the conservation agenda and the associated
removal of ownership.
The Zambezi Basin countries are quickly realising
the importance of involving stakeholders, with policies
on centralised state control of forests giving way
to more diverse and participatory approaches to natural
resources management.
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