Environmental Action Reflection project

The project set out to combat the effects of deforestation in a remote mining settlement in the Northwestern province of Zambia. Generally speaking deforestation is the massive or extensive clearing of forests for various purposes. In Zambia however the greatest causes of deforestation has mostly to do with some of the following factors: charcoal production, farming, mining, and construction. The results of deforestation vary depending on the topology as well as the nature of deforestation. Zambia is one of the most forested countries in Africa and approximately 67% (49,468,000 ha) of Zambia's land surface is covered by forest (FAO, 2011). In the study area deforestation is being accelerated by the discovery of minerals such as copper, nickel, gold and uranium which are being exploited using the open cast method of mining. This growth mining industries has also led to the influx of people from across the country and beyond borders thus increasing pressure on land as well as resources. The project's aim was to reduce soil erosion which was mostly noted through dust emissions and gullies being formed along roads and any cleared areas. There was an outcry about dust emission from the earth roads as traffic increased due to the motorization of the miners. Development projects especially in terms of infrastructure were not paying attention to the need to protect the exposed soils after clearing the forested areas. Another aspect that was clear was more of the tragedy of the commons where no one seemed to care about the cleared forests. The project aimed to at least provide the necessary input for people to act as environmental stewards. Students, the local community as well as the mine's environmental management section together with the corporate social responsibility department became the project's major partners. While all the aims were not achieved a lot was achieved as there was a rapid response from the mine. The major road that links the mine and the staff quarters is now being tarred to reduce dust emission from vehicles. The photographs below show the progress that has been made so far. Photographs above showing sections of the road where a lot of dust is generated affecting dwellings along the road. The same section of the road is now being tarred as shown below.