Zambia to host international conference on land restoration, environmental protection

LUSAKA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) 

Zambia will host an inaugural international conference on land restoration and environmental protection.

Douty Chibamba, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, disclosed Wednesday that about 1,500 participants will attend the conference to be held in the southern town of Livingstone in March next year and organized by Global EverGreening Alliance, an international not-for-profit organization which coordinates the development and implementation of massive-scale environmental restoration in developing countries around the world.

   "Land restoration is key for our climate change mitigation and adaptation. There is (an) urgent need for effective mitigation and adaptation measures to make climate change one of the most important existential issues not only in Zambia but also the world at large," he said during a press briefing.

The conference will serve as a great platform to share strides made in land restoration and environmental protection agenda, he said.

 According to him, the conference will also involve the showcasing of collective knowledge and capacity of land restoration and environmental protection among the stakeholders and it will be a unique knowledge and information gathering and sharing platform that will enable the scaling of work and forge new strategic partnerships.

 He emphasized that Zambia's development agenda could not be achieved without ensuring appropriate land use planning, responsible management of resources and collaboration from all stakeholders.

Zambia has varied landscapes and each has a unique role to play in supporting sustainable development, he said, adding that environmental, and socioeconomic goals could only be met when the country has healthy land resources.