Natural resources and biodiversity, according to Zambia’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources ELIJAH MUCHIMA, greatly increase the country’s gross domestic product and provide livelihoods for many communities.
According to Mr. MUCHIMA, wetlands make between four to nine percent of Zambia’s surface area and are essential to preserving and sustaining a diverse variety of wildlife.
He made this statement yesterday during a press conference on Zambia’s stance on the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada.
The Minister emphasized the significance of the parties to the convention meeting in Montreal, Canada to discuss the post-2020 global biodiversity framework intended to stop and reverse biodiversity loss and create a world that values nature by 2030.
He added that over one million animal and plant species risk going extinct in the next ten years, citing a statistic from 2019 that stated that more than 75% of the world’s land surface and 85% of its wetlands have been destroyed.
Mr. MUCHIMA warned that the world risks losing its animal and plant life if no measures are taken.
According to him, among other things, unsustainable fishing practices, land degradation, deforestation, encroachment on protected areas, and land degradation are all signs that Zambia’s natural resources are being exploited.
Zambia, according to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, supports the creation of a global biodiversity fund for least developed nations as well as a system for capacity building, access to technology, and scientific methods.
