The forest sector discussed by Minister Väyrynen and Minister Namugala of Zambia
Minister Namugala said that Zambia has 50 million hectares of forest. The forests, however, are shrinking quickly; 300,00 hectares disappear from Zambia’s forests each year. The real threats facing forests in Zambia are population growth, traditional woodland-burning and use of charcoal. Nearly all of Zambia’s forests are owned by the state, but the government lacks the means to repel forest loss. In the private sector, latitude is also restricted by the permit bureaucracy, which the government is now trimming.
Minister Väyrynen considered it important that citizens are educated in the sustainable use of forests and that planting of trees is intensified. Collection of wood waste should be organized at sawmills and surplus wood should be utilized for energy. Minister Väyrynen stressed the importance of energy-friendly technology. Väyrynen mentioned the regional energy and environment partnership project implemented with Finnish development cooperation funds in South America and said that the concept is currently being modelled for Southern Africa. This would offer Zambia the possibility to carry out renewable energy projects.
Minister Namugala said that one of the most important objectives of her Ministry is to develop and increase tourism in Zambia. She mentioned improvement of the infrastructure as the greatest challenge to development of tourism. Last year 800,000 tourists visited Zambia and the sector gave work to 19,000 people. As a new site, Zambia is investing in promoting tourism from Asia.
Minister Namugala stated that she valued Finland’s support for her Ministry and hoped that the partnership between the two countries is strengthened further with regard to Finnish forestry expertise. The meeting between the two Ministers was a continuation of talks held when Minister Väyrynen visited Zambia in March 2009.