Many Species. One Planet. One Future. Biodiversity is Life · eye opener to most students and teachers too. The event made them realize the importance of conserving our biodiversity

1

Saturday 5th June 2010, the Lusaka East Forest Reserve Number 27 was filled with a hive of activities. A fleet of buses and cars was seen heading East on Lusaka’s Leopards Hill Road, all heading to this reserve. This was not an ordinary trip, but an education and awareness trip to commemorate the 2010 World Environment Day.

The World Environment Day is one of the principle vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. Our event was commemorated inline with the worldwide theme “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.”

It’s not a coincident that 2010 was declared by the United Nations as an International Year of Biodiversity with the theme “Biodiversity is Life”, but it is an opportunity to stress the importance of biodiversity for human well-being, reflect on our achievements to safeguard it and encourage a redoubling of our efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss.

The Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia (WECSZ) opted to use the Lusaka East Forest Reserve Number 27 to enable people become better acquainted with issues that are affecting biodiversity right in our own backyard.

Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27 is the only public protected area and large natural green space in the immediate proximity of Zambia’s capital city, Lusaka. The reserve was originally set up to protect the source of the Chalimbana River and is part of an important water

catchment’s area that provides invaluable social, economic and ecological services. Despite its importance, Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27 is not only threatened by extractive pressures, but also development and the ever-growing population of Lusaka City.

5th June 2010 World Environment Day at the Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27.

site

A section of the Lusaka Forest Reserve No. 27

2

The main aim of the 2010 Word Environment Day hands-on activity was to apply environmental education and awareness processes to empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development. The activity also aimed to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss and promote the engagement of the public especially the youths for the protection of the forestry resource.

The activity focused on species identication to emphasis on the importance of each and every species on earth. Participants were mainly school-going children with their teachers, divided into four main groups: (1) Mammals – Insects (2) Reptiles – Amphibians - Fishes (3) Flowers – Trees – Grasses and (4) Birds. Cross-cutting issues such as climate change, pollution, waste disposal and HIV/AIDS were also looked at.

Wildlife Guides and other information materials were provided to help the groups in their work. After the research, each group made a presentation on their findings. Experts from the Environmental Council of Zambia, Forest Deparment, Zambian Ornithological Society, World Fish Centre, World Wide Fund for Nature, Elephant Orphanage Project, Free Stopping Consultancy, Natural Valley Farm, Steadrast Action Foundation and the Zambia Scout Association were on hand to give professional guidance to the groups.

Table 1. below outlines just some of the species that were identified during the World Environment Day activity at Lusaka East Forest No. 27.

No. Local Names Scientific Names Common Names 1 Pwele (Nyanja) Pycnonotus barbatus Common Bulbul 2 Njiba (Nyanja) Streptopelia semitorquata Red-eyed Dove 3 Gumugumu (Nyanja) Agama atricollis Blue-headed Tree Agama 4 Luunvwi (Nyanja) Chamaeleo gilepis dilepis Common Flap-necked Chameleon 5 Ntete (Nyanja) Acrida sulphuripennis Grass Hopper 6 Chipelebesha (Bemba) Lepidoptera Butterfly 7 Msuku (Nyanja) Uapaca kirkiana - 8 Mpundu (Nyanja) Parinari curatellifolia - 9 Mukole (Bemba) Dombeya rotundifolia - 10 Musamba (Bemba) Brachystegia boehmii -

A team of participants from their group research

Table 1

Presentation of the findings by one of the team leaders

3

To reinforce the educational and awareness purpose of the activity, schools presentated their massages through sketches and poems. Entainment was provided by the Youth Development and Environment Change drama group. A total of slightly over 500 people were in attendance with 21 Lusaka based schools represented.

After the evaluation of the reserve, the majority of teachers rated Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27 as being fairly good because it is able to support biodiversity in its current state. A few though, said it was in a bad condition because there were no big animals and that some areas of the reserve were encroached.

Participants, particularly teachers were also asked as to whether it was possible to conserve the Lusaka East Forest Reserve No. 27 in the next 10 year. The majority answers were “positive,” for as long as government and key stakeholders strengthen and implement measures that prevent encroachments and over- exploitation of the forestry resources (examples given: cutting down trees for firewood, bush fires caused by mice hunters, collection of wild plants such as ferns, removal of black soil and sand etc).

Generally, the participants had a great opportunity to learn from stakeholders and share ideas on various issues pertaining to biodiversity and the environment in general. The event was also an eye opener to most students and teachers too. The event made them realize the importance of conserving our biodiversity for the present and future generations’ inline with this year’s theme, “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.”

All in all, the food that nourishes us comes from plant and animal resources. The medicine that we take when we are sick is derived from medicinal plants. Millions of people have jobs as farmers, fishermen, foresters, and tourist guides because of biodiversity. Pharmaceutical, food, agriculture, and cosmetic companies thrive because of nature’s wealth.

You may not think that a beetle in your backyard or grass growing by the roadside has a fundamental connection to you - but it does. When even one species is taken out of the intricate web of life, the results can be catastrophic.

The issue of climate change that is being experienced in the world and Zambia can not be over emphasized; biodiversity and climate change are very closely related issues. Biodiversity is strongly affected by climate change, so we need to make additional efforts to minimize the negative influence of other factors, such as over-exploitation of resources, habitat loss, pollution, and the spread of invasive alien species. This way we can ensure that ecosystems are less vulnerable and more resilient to the increasing threat posed by climate change.

Multitude of the participants during one of the presentations

4

Biodiversity also helps people to adapt to climate change through providing the ecosystem services which reduce their vulnerability and enhance their adaptive capacity to change.

Therefore, let us consider carefully the actions each of us take, and then address ourselves to our common task of preserving all life on Earth.

All of us, from kids to corporations, can help preserve our planet’s fragile web of life. Together, we can create a society that lives in harmony with our environment.

Recommendations from the participants for the Lusaka East Forest Reserve Number 27:

• The Government and key stakeholders should put up an electric fence around the reserve to prevent encroachments;

• Put in place a vigorous sensitization programme for the local community and the general public on the dangers of deforestation and other vices that threaten the reserve;

• Put-up a Resource Centre for education purposes;

• Restore some parts of the reserve by planting indigenous trees;

• Bring some animals to the reserve.

The Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia owes the success of this event to Acacia Food & Beverages, Parmalat Zambia Ltd, Total Zambia Ltd, Engen Petroleum Zambia Ltd, National Breweries PLC, Californian Beverages Ltd, Natural Valley Ltd, Majuro Investments Ltd, Redwell Cheese and Castle Shopping Center for their financial and material support. We are also grateful to individual members of the Society, the schools, partner organisations and all those that supported the event in one way or another.

Together, we can develop Zambia sustainably!

WECSZ Copyright 2010

National Office, Plot 4435 Kumoyo Road, P.O. Box 30255, Lusaka. Tel/Fax: +260 211 251630,

Email: [email protected]. Website: www.conservationzambia.org

Kids drawing and discussing the importance of nature.