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SayPro Govt launches 3 reports on inclusion of natural capital in development planning Consulting Service
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SayPro Govt launches 3 reports on inclusion of natural capital in development planning
…Chiteme, other Ministers urge natural resources mainstreaming in Zambia’s economyLUSAKA,– The Minister of National Development Planning Hon. Alexander Chiteme, MP, today launched the technical reports for the Forestry, Land and Water natural capital accounts in Zambia under the World Bank-led Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) Programme.The WAVES Programme aims at promoting sustainable development by ensuring that natural resources are mainstreamed in development planning and national economic accounts.Hon. Chiteme was joined by his counterparts the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Ms. Jean Kapata, MP, Minister of Water Development Sanitation and Environmental Protection Hon. Dr. Jonas Chanda, MP, Minister of Higher Education Hon. Eng. Dr. Brian Mushimba, MP, alongside World Bank Country Manager Dr. Sahr Kpundeh in Lusaka.Speaking at the launch, Mr. Chiteme said the three technical reports are for forestry, lands and water clearly demostrate that Zambia is on course in the actualisation of enhanced sustainable development by ensuring that natural resources are mainstreamed in development planning and national economic accounts.“Countries measure economic growth through gross domestic product (GDP). However, it is clear that GDP is not a sufficient indicator of sustainability because it does not value the cost of environmental degradation, or recognize how natural resources are being depleted in pursuing economic development,” Mr. Chiteme said. “Therefore, incorporating the full value of ecosystems services into the wealth of a country through natural capital accounting and the benefits that people derive from them is very important.”He said natural capital accounting will enable Zambia measure and value the links between the economy and the environment, analyse sustainability of use of natural resources, and use the data in national and local planning, as well as public policy-making.The Minister of National Development Planning expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its continued support.And Minister of Water Development Sanitation and Environmental Protection Hon. Dr. Jonas Chanda said expressed concern that a very high portion of water supply in Zambia goes to waste without being accounted for.“The water account technical report indicates that there is a significant amount of water that is unaccounted for, given the amount of water that was withdrawn from rivers and aquifers by water utility companies and what was reported as utilized by various consumer categories,” Dr. Chanda said. “Some of the possible uses of the water accounts include determining the impacts of economic growth on water resources; quantifying in economic terms the contribution of water resources to the economy; understanding the social and economic implications of water policy instruments like water pricing; property rights and regulation; and determining the specific contributions of economic activities to the various pressures on water resources, such as pollution and over abstraction, as well as the opportunities for reducing these pressures.”And the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Ms. Jean Kapata, said the forests natural capital account unifies information and shows how forestry are contributing to the economy and how the economy may be affecting the natural resources.“The report is the first official iteration of a forest accounts for Zambia. It serves as a starting point, proving that forest accounts can be produced for the nation but also recognizing that they can be improved, expanded and institutionalized to address key policy issues,” said Ms. Kapata.She said forests are an important source of income and wealthy generation for individual households, especially the poor communities that depend on forest resources for their survival, and the country in general.Meanwhile the Minister of Higher Education Hon. Eng. Dr. Brian Mushimba said the land natural resource account is key to national development, therefore commended the team for putting up a rich technical report.He expressed concern that land account findings show that forest cover and wetlands have reduced over time. He said the forests were being lost to agriculture and urbanization.Dr. Mushimba called for close collaboration in understanding relationship between natural and human induced change of land use and other natural capital.In his remarks, World Bank Group Zambia Country Manager Dr. Sahr Kpundeh acknowledged the great importance that the Zambian Government attaches to natural capital accounting in contributing to national development.“The World Bank Group is committed to supporting the Government towards harnessing the untapped potential of natural capital. This is reflected through our various avenues including grant financed analytical work, and IDA financed projects like the Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Project (ZIFLP) and the Transforming Landscape for Resilience Development (TRALARD),” said Dr Kpundeh. “The World Bank acknowledges receipt of the Zambian Government request for further support to extend the WAVES programmes. Our team is considering this. We remain optimistic and look forward to seeing substantial progress being made with other priority accounts, that is the Tourism, Energy and Mining accounts. We also look forward to seeing the environmental-economic model being used to integrate natural resource issues into economic policy and planning.”Zambia joined the WAVES Partnership in 2017 and embarked on developing six (6) natural accounts namely, forestry, land, water, tourism, energy and minerals, and has this far developed three (3) accounts launched today.
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