By NATION REPORTER
ACTIONAID Zambia has called for accountability and transparency in disposing off of the illegally harvested Mukula tree logs in Luapula Province and other parts of the country.
Actionaid interim country director Musonda Kabinga said the Mukula tree has for a long time been exploited at an alarming rate and illegally harvested and exported allegedly by some Zambians.
Mr Kabinga said the illegal harvesting was apparently rampant and done by politically exposed individuals and financial elites who gripped power over the Mukula trade despite the existence of regulations such as Forestry Act No of 2015.
“While Actionaid Zambia is impressed with the stringent measures employed by the government through the Ministry of Green Environment in curbing the illegal harvesting and trade of the Mukula Tree, we need transparency,” Mr Kabinga said.
He said ActionAid also commended the efforts that were being made by the Zambia National Service (ZNS) and department of forestry in confiscating all the Mukula logs that were illegally harvested in Luapula.
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