ZABS to develop code of practice and timber standards

By MAILESI BANDA

THE Green Jobs Programme has partnered with the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) to develop a code of practice and timber standards as a step towards achieving forest certification in Zambia.

According to the recently launched green jobs 2016 annual impact report the sustainable production supply and use of building construction material is vital for the growth of the construction sector in Zambia.

The report discloses that currently the only standards for forest management that are applicable in Zambia are the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) principles and criteria with the international generic indicators.

It adds however that these indicators were intended for use by large scale intensive forest management operations and not by communities of small holder tree growers.

This necessitated the need to develop a local low impact managed forest standard to accommodate the small forestry enterprises. The report records that the use of local and sustainable materials is a major contributor and key determinant of how green and inclusive the development of a country is adding that not only did the use of local materials save foreign currency for domestic investment in critical human development areas such as health and education. The report notes that the use of local materials makes business sense and in return creates decent and green jobs for people and the communities to work out of poverty with dignity and pride. The report notes that from every construction project that one embarked on, timber is a critical and most widely used raw material for building in many situations.