Chronicle Editor
Nduduzo Tshuma
TRIBUTARY States to the Zambezi River have adopted the Maputo Declaration on the Sustainable Management and Conservation of Indigenous Woodlands that would lead to collaboration in the conservation of the Miombo Woodlands to mitigate against effects of climate change.
The declaration was adopted during a two-day Regional Conference on the Sustainable and Integrated Management of Miombo Forests in Maputo.
Held under the theme: “For Sustainable and Integrated Management of the Miombo in Building Resilience to Climate Change and Protection of the Great Zambezi,” the conference ended yesterday.
According to researchgate.net, the he Miombo woodlands are the most extensive warm dry forest type in southern Africa covering 2.7 million square km across Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola and Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
“It is one of the most important ecosystems in the world, playing an important role at the social, economic and environmental levels. Being an important centre of plant biodiversity Miombo is a key provider of goods and services, supporting the livelihoods of more than 65 million of people in the region,” says researchgate.net.
“The woodlands are also very important to the national economies as they provide timber for exportation. From the environmental point of view Miombo is determinant to energy, carbon and water balance.”
In Zimbabwe, the Miombo woodlands cover 37 percent of the country’ 23 million hectares of forests.
Emerging from the meeting, President Mnangagwa said the Paris Agreement Framework on Climate Change speaks to sustainable management of forests to mitigate against effects of climate change.
“During COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow in November 2021, we reaffirmed our respective commitments to sustainable land use. Equally, the need to scale up the conservation, protection, sustainable management and restoration of forests together with other terrestrial ecosystems received prominence.
“Our meeting today builds on those important discussions, with emphasis on the biodiversity conservation of resources in our own region,” said the President.
His Mozambican counterpart and host, President Filipe Nyusi said the declaration promote,
“joint, coordinated and integrated actions for the recovery, management, monitoring and conservation of miombo forests and other forest formations throughout the Southern African Development Community [SADC] region.”
Added President Nyusi, “Miombo forests protect river basins, help prevent floods and absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis thereby reducing greenhouse emissions. These forests also reduce conflict between humans and wildlife and provide food for wildlife which no longer turn to human fields for food.”
“Climate change does not respect borders; therefore, we need to work together and put national interest behind us. We need to act together and face one of the major threats to mankind as one.”
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