EFFORTS by Chief Nkambo, of Masaiti district, to mitigate climate change by stopping indiscriminate cutting of trees in his chiefdom and beyond are indeed commendable and must be emulated by others.
The country is currently going through a drought which has now been declared a national disaster due to its severity.
Certainly the need to mitigate the impact of climate change by preserving trees cannot be overemphasised.
It is common knowledge that forests in Zambia and other countries are facing the greatest risk of extinction due to indiscriminate cutting of trees for charcoal production, agriculture and construction purposes.
Deforestation negatively affects habitats, biodiversity, air quality, water ways, and nearly every other part of the natural world.
Plants create oxygen and absorb greenhouse gasses, a vital process for ecological cycles.
Forest loss negatively impacts local communities and organisms and also actively contributes to global warming, ocean acidification and natural disasters through climate change, whose reality has dawned in Zambia as evidenced by the dry spell this rainy season, which President Hakainde Hichilema has declared as a national disaster.
We, therefore, commend and welcome efforts to mitigate this phenomenon by Chief Nkambo, who has urged fellow traditional leaders country-wide to work with Government to address the effects of climate change by sensitising their subjects to stop cutting down trees.
Chief Nkambo says traditional leaders should help Government by devising strict measures to stop the indiscriminate cutting down of trees.
He said the cutting of trees to produce charcoal, among others, has contributed to the dry spell which the country has experienced.
It is, therefore, commendable that Chief Nkambo has gone a step further in his efforts to help mitigate climate change and constituted a disciplinary committee in the chiefdom to discipline anyone found cutting down trees indiscriminately.
This is undoubtedly key to ensuring that residents in the chiefdom abide by the prescribed rules to deter them from cutting down trees arbitrarily.
“As the Lamba-Lima Royal Establishment, we are also urging our farmers to at least plant some two hectares of trees in their farms to fight climate change.
“We are also encouraging them to start practising smart agriculture, which includes conservational farming,” Chief Nkambo said.
This is progressive and the benefits of such steps are certainly significant once these efforts are replicated country-wide by traditional leaders
Traditional leaders should play an active role as key stakeholders in ensuring that Government’s plans and visions are realised.
This is because traditional leaders are closer to the grassroots in communities and carry sacrosanct authority, which is effective in implementing and enforcing regulations.
People in communities are more likely to listen and obey the directives of traditional leaders as they are highly respected from time immemorial, hence the need for Government to continue working with chiefs country-wide to help mitigate climate change among other development endeavours.
Traditional leaders should continue rallying behind President Hichilema and giving him support as he works to tackle different challenges including climate change and reviving the country’s economy.
We acknowledge that traditional leadership plays a crucial role in ensuring that development is achieved country-wide as it is also the custodian of tradition and culture, which is simply a way of life of different communities.
We also agree with Chief Nkambo, who rightly points out that traditional leaders have a responsibility to explain to their communities how Government is working to foster development even in the wake of hardships such as drought.
This is as should be owing to the close relations between traditional leaders and their subjects coupled with the authority they exert to ensure harmony in communities especially in the hinterland of the countryside.
It should be borne in the minds of all stakeholders including the revered traditional leaders that Government cannot achieve national development goals alone, hence the need for all stakeholders to work closely with the New Dawn administration to tackle climate change and record milestone developments for the nation.
Chief Nkambo’s efforts against tree cutting laudable
EFFORTS by Chief Nkambo, of Masaiti district, to mitigate climate change by stopping indiscriminate cutting of trees in his chiefdom and beyond are indeed commendable and must be emulated by others.
The country is currently going through a drought which has now been declared a national disaster due to its severity.
Certainly the need to mitigate the impact of climate change by preserving trees cannot be overemphasised.
It is common knowledge that forests in Zambia and other countries are facing the greatest risk of extinction due to indiscriminate cutting of trees for charcoal production, agriculture and construction purposes.
Deforestation negatively affects habitats, biodiversity, air quality, water ways, and nearly every other part of the natural world.
Plants create oxygen and absorb greenhouse gasses, a vital process for ecological cycles.
Forest loss negatively impacts local communities and organisms and also actively contributes to global warming, ocean acidification and natural disasters through climate change, whose reality has dawned in Zambia as evidenced by the dry spell this rainy season, which President Hakainde Hichilema has declared as a national disaster.
We, therefore, commend and welcome efforts to mitigate this phenomenon by Chief Nkambo, who has urged fellow traditional leaders country-wide to work with Government to address the effects of climate change by sensitising their subjects to stop cutting down trees.
Chief Nkambo says traditional leaders should help Government by devising strict measures to stop the indiscriminate cutting down of trees.
He said the cutting of trees to produce charcoal, among others, has contributed to the dry spell which the country has experienced.
It is, therefore, commendable that Chief Nkambo has gone a step further in his efforts to help mitigate climate change and constituted a disciplinary committee in the chiefdom to discipline anyone found cutting down trees indiscriminately.
This is undoubtedly key to ensuring that residents in the chiefdom abide by the prescribed rules to deter them from cutting down trees arbitrarily.
“As the Lamba-Lima Royal Establishment, we are also urging our farmers to at least plant some two hectares of trees in their farms to fight climate change.
“We are also encouraging them to start practising smart agriculture, which includes conservational farming,” Chief Nkambo said.
This is progressive and the benefits of such steps are certainly significant once these efforts are replicated country-wide by traditional leaders
Traditional leaders should play an active role as key stakeholders in ensuring that Government’s plans and visions are realised.
This is because traditional leaders are closer to the grassroots in communities and carry sacrosanct authority, which is effective in implementing and enforcing regulations.
People in communities are more likely to listen and obey the directives of traditional leaders as they are highly respected from time immemorial, hence the need for Government to continue working with chiefs country-wide to help mitigate climate change among other development endeavours.
Traditional leaders should continue rallying behind President Hichilema and giving him support as he works to tackle different challenges including climate change and reviving the country’s economy.
We acknowledge that traditional leadership plays a crucial role in ensuring that development is achieved country-wide as it is also the custodian of tradition and culture, which is simply a way of life of different communities.
We also agree with Chief Nkambo, who rightly points out that traditional leaders have a responsibility to explain to their communities how Government is working to foster development even in the wake of hardships such as drought.
This is as should be owing to the close relations between traditional leaders and their subjects coupled with the authority they exert to ensure harmony in communities especially in the hinterland of the countryside.
It should be borne in the minds of all stakeholders including the revered traditional leaders that Government cannot achieve national development goals alone, hence the need for all stakeholders to work closely with the New Dawn administration to tackle climate change and record milestone developments for the nation.