Zambia-China illegal timber trade: impacts on rural communities
Channel: IIED
Date: 2018-01-10

Thousands of Zambian villagers' lives have changed for the better because of the recent surge in mukula trade - at a significant cost to the environment and with key challenges for forest governance in Zambia.

Mukula is a rosewood-like tree abundant in Zambia. Forests in Zambia cover 60 per cent of the country, roughly 45 million hectares, and close to 10 million Zambians live in rural villages near the forests – farming, collecting firewood and doing small trades. For many, the mukula trade has improved their livelihoods.

But trees are disappearing fast. In response to the crisis, the Forest Department of Zambia has issued several measures aimed at controlling the trade, including a ban on movement of timber in early 2017. 

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), together with the Center for International Forestry Research, is currently working with the Zambian government to understand the economic, social and environmental implications of these policies.

More details: https://www.iied.org/saving-trees-or-improving-lives

The research mentioned in this photo story is being conducted in collaboration with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), as part of the DFID-ESRC Growth Research Programme.