Zambia has a high deforestation rate, losing approximately 0.32 percent of its forests annually. Forests provide important habitats for wildlife and are a natural defense against climate change. The USFS PAPA supports the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) and USAID implementing partners with technical assistance and capacity building in climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, forestry, and natural resource management in Zambia.
The USFS embeds advisors within the GRZ Forestry Department FD and the GRZ Environmental Management Agency ZEMA to build capacity in climate change mitigation, greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory systems, and sustainable forest management. With this technical assistance, Forest Officers are better able to monitor their forest resources, identify deforestation hotspots, and use information (e.g. cartography, data collection, geographic information systems, and remote sensing) to make informed policy and management decisions.
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This activity positions the GRZ to sustainably manage its own environment and natural resources without continued injection of capital or technical assistance from outside sources. The support builds GRZ’s commitment and capacity to accelerate greenhouse gas reduction, conserve Zambia’s natural resources, and meet their Nationally Determined Contributions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Expected Results
This activity helps build the capacity of GRZ to develop and implement Low Emissions Development Strategies and reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the goals set in the country’s National Policy on Climate Change, the Seventh National Development Plan, and the Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The activity supports the institutionalization of climate change analysis and reporting within GRZ agencies by building their capacities and implementing new tools like the climate change portal. The activity will also enhance the capabilities of the Forestry Department in forest monitoring, estimation of GHG emissions, land cover mapping, and management of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Registry
