Zambia - Atlas of our Changing Environment

Forest Loss - Mwekera Forest Mwekera National Forest is located in Kitwe, in the Copperbelt Province. Established in 1958, the forest reserve is home to a forestry college, its staff and their families, as well as staff of the Aquaculture Centre. Due to an increase in the population within the college, Fisheries Department and the surrounding areas, the forest area has declined from an estimated 17,887 hectares in 1957 to less than 10,000 hectares in 2005 (Shitima, 2005). From 2005 to 2011, the forest continued experiencing degradation and another 10,000 hectares were lost (KCC and ECZ, 2010). Demand for charcoal, land for cultivation, woodfuel, timber for construction, and sand mining have exerted pressure on the forest.

Tree cutting for energy The Post, 2010

Forest cleared due to encraochment Justin Qian/flickr.com, 2007

Mushroom in the forest greenstone.org, 1990

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Chapter 2 - Zambia’s Changing Environment