Zambia - Atlas of our Changing Environment

Indigenous forest is estimated to make up 66 per cent (49.9 million hectares) of the total land cover of Zambia. The total growing stock, that is the total volume of forest, across all land uses for Zambia is approximately 2.9 billion cubic metres of which the majority, 2.1 billion cubic metres, is semi-evergreen miombo-dominated forests. Over 65 per cent of the forests in Zambia are secondary growth forests with active growth potential (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2008). Forests

Of the total amount of land covered by forest, about 31 million hectares (63 per cent) are located on customary land, 12 million hectares on state land, and 5 million hectares are privately owned forests with legal land titles. However, 61 per cent of the forest and other wooded land which comprise bushes, shrubs, wooded grasslands and thickets are disturbed in one way or another by human activities (ILUA, 2008; Food and Agriculture Organisation, 2008).

Forests are an important habitat for wildlife. Pexi from Helsinki Rock City/flickr.com, 2008

100 Percentage

Lusaka

Central Northern

90

Copperbelt Western

80

70

Eastern

60

Luapula

50

Northwestern

40

30

Southern

20

10

0

Exotic forest nursery FD, 2008

Figure 2.10 Percentage forest estate by province Food and Agriculture Organisation, 2008)

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ZAMBIA - ATLAS OF OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT

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