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Chapter 3 - Track ing Zambia’s Environmental Per formance
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Combating environmental threats and improving
environmental sustainability requires action and
engagement from all levels of society, including the
private sector and civil society. Studies undertaken
have identified four problems or challenges faced
by civil society organisations (CSOs) engaged in
environmental issues. The challenges are:
• Limited access to funding, particularly for
institutional support;
• Inadequate technical and institutional capacity
in some CSOs working on environmental and
natural resource management;
• Lack of coordinating mechanism for CSOs
working in this field; and,
• Inadequate consideration of cross-cutting issues
in these activities.
In order to address these challenges, the Civil Society
Environment Fund was established in 2010 to
strengthen the ability of civil society organizations
The Integrated Land Use Assessment initiative
is aimed at improving the monitoring and
management of land resources, and contributing
to poverty alleviation, food security and sustainable
economic growth. The initiative has been
implemented in order to:
• Assist land use institutions in developing and
strengthening their capacity to collect, compile,
process and disseminate reliable up-to-date
information to policy makers;
• Plan and carry out national land use
assessments;
• Develop up-to-date integrated land use
information systems; and,
• Set up a long term land use monitoring system.
The collected data is used to inform national policies
and action plans related to agriculture and forestry
(Zambia Forestry Department, 2009).
Civil Society Environment Fund
Integrated Land Use Assessment
to participate in the promotion of sustainable
environment and natural resources management,
thus contributing to Zambia’s development efforts.
The purpose of the fund is to develop the capacity
of Zambian civil society organizations to be able to
work for environmentally sustainable development.
The project will be completed in 2013.
Some of the civil society organizations supported
through the fund include the Community
Based Natural Resources Management Forum,
Conservation Lower Zambezi, Citizens for a Better
Environment, Green Living Movement, African
Wildlife Foundation, and Livingstone Green
Initiative. Support is provided to these organisations
in many areas, including organizational structure,
innovative projects and capacity building (Civil
Society Environment Fund, 2013).
Integrated Land Use Assessment Project vehicle handover
UN-REDD Programme, 2012