Katanino Joint Forest Management Area, Masaiti District, Zambia : challenges and opportunities

Abstract

In 1998 a Forest Policy aimed at including people living close to or involved with the forest resource base as a way of securing sustainable forest management was developed in Zambia. This policy culminated in the enactment of the Forests Act of 1999. Popularly known as the JFM Act, the new Forests Act provides for inter alia the inclusion of previously excluded communities in forest management; the sharing of forest revenue between the government and the JFM communities; and the establishment of the Zambia Forestry Commission (ZAFCOM) as the new government agency responsible for overseeing the forestry sector in Zambia. The piloting of JFM commenced in three provinces in 2000. However, by 2006, the new Forests Act was still dormant and the ZAFCOM had still not been established. In light of the above, this study set out to investigate the challenges of and opportunities for Joint Forest Management in Zambia, with special reference to Katanino Joint Forest Management Area. The rationale for the study was to obtain information that would be useful for the government and other stakeholders in the design of JFM policy and the anticipated full implementation of JFM in the country. The study was conducted through the use of household survey questionnaire, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, field observations, and review of existing literature. The data was analysed using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework; the modified 4Rs Stakeholder Analysis; Ostrom’s Design Principles; analytical and descriptive statistics.