Zambia

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Sub-Saharan AfricaApplies 2015–2025Source: National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2015–2025 (NBSAP-2)

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2015–2025 (NBSAP-2)

This NBSAP was submitted before the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (December 2022). Target mappings are inferred and were not part of the document's original scope.

1. Overview

Zambia's second National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP-2, 2015–2025) was developed by the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (MLNREP), succeeding the first NBSAP (2000–2009). The strategy was financed through the Global Environment Facility via UNEP, with additional support from The Nature Conservancy's Zambia Country Office and the Zambian Government Treasury [§7].

NBSAP-2 is organised around five Strategic Goals adopted verbatim from the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 — Goals A through E, covering mainstreaming, pressure reduction, safeguarding, benefits, and implementation [§64]. Zambia's NBSAP-2 (2015–2025) was designed against the Aichi framework's five Strategic Goals rather than the Kunming-Montreal GBF Goals A–D; these are mapped to GBF targets in Section 7.

Through national and provincial prioritisation exercises involving more than 500 stakeholders, Zambia reduced the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets to 18 national commitments*Zambia's NBSAP refers to these as "National Targets." This page uses "national commitment" to avoid confusion with the 23 GBF Targets. [§9].

The 18 national commitments span awareness and mainstreaming (Goals A–B), protected area rationalisation, species recovery, and genetic diversity (Goal C), ecosystem services and benefit sharing (Goal D), and implementation capacity (Goal E). Several commitments carry quantified thresholds: a 25% reduction in deforestation by 2020, fisheries co-management in 60% of major fisheries by 2020, and arithmetic population recovery targets for the Kafue Lechwe and Black Rhino [§9][§68]. The strategy contains no costed implementation budget; financial planning is explicitly deferred to a subsequent Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) Investment Plan [§14].

Zambia's NBSAP-2 is notable for three structural features: it commits to legislating headwater protection zones across five major river systems as no-go areas for large-scale infrastructure; it sets arithmetic population recovery targets for two flagship species; and it frames community land rights — via the Customary Land Bill — as a prerequisite for effective biodiversity governance rather than a co-benefit.

Sources:

  • §7 — FUNDING BODIES
  • §9 — FUNDING BODIES > EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • §14 — CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION > CHAPTER 2: PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY
  • §64 — STRATEGIC GOALS
  • §68 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 3/4)

2. Ecological Context

Zambia covers 752,612 km² on the central African plateau at an average altitude of 1,200 m, supporting fourteen ecosystem types dominated by miombo woodland (294,480 km², 39% of total land area), floodplain and swamp grassland (129,075 km², 17%), and Kalahari sand woodland (84,260 km², 11%) [§23]. Approximately 80% of Zambia's population is directly dependent on natural resources for fuel, food, income, raw materials, and medicines, while the economy depends heavily on mining, hydropower, forestry, fisheries, and tourism [§9][§15].

The country's ecological distinctiveness lies in its role as a headwater state. Five major Southern African river systems — the Zambezi, Kafue, Chambeshi, Bangweulu, and Luangwa — originate within or flow through Zambia. Forest ecosystem services tied to these watersheds carry documented economic value: sediment retention saves an estimated US$237 million per annum, forest pollination contributes approximately US$74 million per annum, and forest carbon stocks average US$150 per hectare (up to US$745 per hectare for intact forests) [§43].

Fish diversity reflects this hydrological richness: 490 species across 24 families, with Lake Tanganyika alone holding 252 species of which 220 are endemic. The country supports 242 mammal species, 757 bird species, and at least 3,543 wild flowering plant species, with 144 plant and 28 animal species classified as threatened under IUCN criteria [§31][§32][§37].

The principal threats are deforestation (estimated at 250,000–300,000 hectares per year), encroachment into protected areas, and dam-induced hydrological disruption. By 2011, less than half the National Forest estate was considered free from encroachment or settlement [§47]. The Kafue Lechwe — Zambia's only endemic lechwe — declined by over 50% in recent decades, with disruption to flood-pulse dynamics from the Kariba, Itezhi-tezhi, and Kafue Gorge dams identified as a primary cause [§46]. Climate projections indicate temperature increases of 1–3.5°C by 2050, with documented risks to miombo regeneration, fish stocks, and the continuous range of the baobab (Adansonia digitata), projected to contract to four isolated areas [§50].

Sources:

  • §9 — FUNDING BODIES > EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • §15 — Chapter 1: Introduction > 3.1 Country Context
  • §23 — Chapter 1: Introduction > 3.3.1 Ecosystem diversity status and trends
  • §31 — 3.3.2.1 Flowering plants
  • §32 — 3.3.2.2 Mammal species
  • §37 — 3.3.2.6 Fish species
  • §43 — 3.4.2 Value of biodiversity resources for ecosystem services > d) Forests and forest resources
  • §46 — 3.4.3 Threats to biodiversity > 3.4.3.1 Habitat transformation
  • §47 — 3.4.3.2 Encroachment
  • §50 — 3.4.3.5 Climate change

3. National Commitments and GBF Alignment

NBSAP-2 organises 18 national commitments under five Strategic Goals (A–E). The 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets were reduced to 18 through explicit national and provincial prioritisation exercises; Aichi Targets 15 and 16 were merged into a single national commitment — a deliberate structural choice rather than an oversight [§9].

Goal A — Mainstreaming biodiversity

National commitment 1: By 2020, Zambians, especially local communities, are aware of biodiversity values and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 21 (data and information), GBF Target 22 (inclusive participation)
  • Instruments: Public awareness campaigns; national Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM, target operational by 2017)
  • Indicators: Number of biodiversity-related public awareness programmes conducted annually
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. No threshold for adequate awareness and no uptake metric is defined.

National commitment 2: By 2020, biodiversity values have been integrated into the Seventh National Development Plan and provincial and district development plans, with reporting systems incorporated into national accounting.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 14 (mainstreaming)
  • Instruments: Seventh National Development Plan (SeNDP) with dedicated biodiversity chapter; sectoral, provincial, and district development plan integration
  • Indicators: Number of sectoral, provincial, and district plans integrating biodiversity values; SeNDP integration milestone (2017)
  • Measurability: Measurable commitment. A specific plan, specific year, and specific output (a chapter within the SeNDP) are defined, with KPIs tracking plan integration [§71].

National commitment 3: By 2019, selected incentives for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use are in place and applied, and the most harmful subsidies are identified with their gradual phase-out initiated.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 18 (harmful subsidies)
  • Instruments: Ministry of Finance and MLNREP-led subsidy analysis; positive incentive development (at least one per sector targeted by 2017)
  • Indicators: Number of harmful subsidies analysed; number of positive incentives applied per sector
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. No quantity of incentives is specified, and identification of harmful subsidies is itself the commitment rather than their removal; no threshold for "initiated" is defined [§9].

National commitment 4: By 2020, baselines for sustainable production and utilisation of fisheries, forests, and wildlife are established and updated.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 5 (sustainable harvest), GBF Target 9 (wild species use)
  • Instruments: Integrated Land Use Assessment (ILUA II); fish stock assessments for all species by 2020; wildlife surveys for all large mammals by 2018
  • Indicators: Updated baselines published for fish, forests and lower plants, and wildlife
  • Measurability: Measurable commitment. A specific deliverable (published baselines) and specific deadlines are defined, with sub-targets specifying coverage by species group and deadline [§71].

Goal B — Reducing direct pressures

National commitment 5: By 2020, the deforestation rate is reduced by at least 25%.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 10 (agriculture and forestry)
  • Instruments: REDD+ National Strategy (2015); Forest Act (2015); fire management plans targeting a 30% reduction in wildfire incidence in critical biodiversity areas; Community Forest Management; alternative energy technology promotion
  • Indicators: National deforestation rate (baseline: 250,000–300,000 ha/year)
  • Measurability: Measurable commitment. Quantified threshold (≥25%) and defined deadline against a documented baseline rate [§9].

National commitment 6: By 2020, fisheries co-management regimes are established in 60% of all major fisheries.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 5 (sustainable harvest), GBF Target 9 (wild species use)
  • Instruments: Fisheries Act (2011) co-management provisions; sector-specific Benefit Distribution Systems; Community Resource Boards model
  • Indicators: Percentage of major fisheries with co-management regimes in place
  • Measurability: Measurable commitment. Quantified threshold (60%), defined population (major fisheries), and defined deadline [§9].

National commitment 7: By 2025, areas under agriculture, aquaculture, and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 10 (agriculture and forestry), GBF Target 3 (protected areas)
  • Instruments: Forest Policy (2014); Forest Act (2015) — three management models: Community Forest Management, Joint Forest Management, and Private Forest Management; Public-Private-Community Partnerships (PPCPs)
  • Sub-targets: At least 56% of national and local forest reserves; at least 50% of open-area forests; at least 80% of forest area under concessions; at least 80% of National Park forest area; at least 60% of GMA forest area sustainably managed
  • Indicators: Area sustainably managed by PA category; share of aquaculture area under sustainable management
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration at the national commitment level. The PA-level sub-targets add measurability at sub-sector level, but the national commitment as stated lacks a single quantified threshold [§9].

National commitment 8: By 2020, pollution from industry (mining, agriculture, etc.) has been brought to levels not detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 7 (pollution reduction)
  • Instruments: Environmental Management Act (2011); Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) — see Finance section for proposed EPF reform; revised EIA regulations (pending at time of publication)
  • Indicators: Reduction in effluent loads from industry, benchmarked to ZEMA baselines
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. No specific pollutant concentration thresholds or discharge limits are defined; the standard ("not detrimental") is qualitative [§9].

National commitment 9: By 2020, invasive alien species (Mimosa pigra, water hyacinth, crayfish, and Lantana camara) and their pathways are identified, prioritised, controlled or eradicated, with measures in place to manage pathways.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 6 (invasive alien species)
  • Instruments: Updated control programmes per species; M&E framework targets fully-fledged control programmes for all identified invasive species by 2017
  • Indicators: Presence and coverage of control programmes per named species
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. Four species are named, but the commitment is to identify and prioritise — no eradication percentage or area coverage threshold is set [§9].

Goal C — Safeguarding ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity

National commitment 10: By 2020, Zambia's Protected Area network is rationalised to achieve representativeness and ecological connectivity at landscape level.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 3 (protected areas / 30x30)
  • Instruments: METTPAZ management effectiveness assessment tool; GMA rezoning; Forest Management Plans for National Parks
  • Indicators: Management effectiveness scores across 19 National Parks; connectivity corridor assessments (baselines marked "to be determined" at time of publication)
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. No quantified connectivity metric or representativeness threshold is defined [§71].
  • Context: Zambia's existing network — National Parks (8.5%), Game Management Areas (22%), and Forest Reserves — covers approximately 40% of land area, already exceeding the GBF's 30x30 goal. The NBSAP identifies management effectiveness as the priority challenge: only South Luangwa National Park rated "High" on the METTPAZ tool, ten parks fell into "Low" categories, and all sampled GMAs in the Luangwa and Kafue ecosystems have been encroached by settlements and agriculture [§26].

National commitment 11: By 2022, the populations of threatened and endemic species and their protection status have been improved and sustained.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 4 (species recovery)
  • Instruments: Species-specific action plans; ZAWA population monitoring; 28-species flagship monitoring programme
  • Quantified sub-targets: Kafue Lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis), endemic to Zambia, from approximately 30,000 to 39,000 individuals by 2020 (30% increase); Black Rhino from 42 to 51 individuals by 2020 (21% increase) [§68]
  • Indicators: Species population indices against 2020 sub-targets for both named species
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration at the national commitment level; the Kafue Lechwe and Black Rhino sub-targets are measurable commitments. The overarching commitment uses qualitative language; quantified targets exist only for two named species [§9][§68].

National commitment 12: By 2025, the genetic diversity of cultivated plants, farmed and domesticated animals, and wild relatives is maintained, and strategies have been developed to minimise genetic erosion.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 13 (genetic resources)
  • Instruments: National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) micro-propagation programme; 7,278 germplasm accessions held ex-situ; conservation strategies for crop wild relatives
  • Indicators: Number of accessions maintained ex-situ; number of indigenous livestock breeds with documented genetic resources; genetic erosion strategies developed
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. Maintenance of diversity and development of strategies are outputs, but no specific erosion threshold or percentage of species covered is defined [§9].

Goal D — Benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services

National commitment 13: By 2020, Zambia defines and enforces a generic national benefit-sharing mechanism for genetic resources.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 13 (genetic resources / ABS)
  • Instruments: Nagoya Protocol domestication; sector-specific Benefit Distribution Systems for forestry, fisheries, wildlife, agriculture, mining, and infrastructure
  • Indicators: National benefit-sharing framework enacted; sectoral Benefit Distribution Systems in place
  • Measurability: Measurable commitment. A specific legal instrument as deliverable and a specific deadline are defined [§9].

National commitment 14: By 2016, Zambia accedes to the Nagoya Protocol; by 2018, domestication of the Protocol is commenced.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 13 (genetic resources / ABS)
  • Instruments: Ministry of Justice-led accession process; Department of Environment-led domestication legislation
  • Indicators: Binary milestones — accession completed (2016) and domestic legislation initiated (2018)
  • Measurability: Measurable commitment. Two binary milestones with two specific deadlines [§9].

National commitment 15: By 2025, Zambia takes deliberate actions to protect critical ecosystems of the Zambezi, Kafue, Chambeshi, Bangweulu, and Luangwa watersheds.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 11 (ecosystem services), GBF Target 2 (ecosystem restoration)
  • Instruments: Proposed headwater no-go area legislation; watershed protection actions across MLNREP, MEWD, MOCTA, MLGH, and NHCC — see Flex Section 1 for full treatment
  • Indicators: Headwater protection legislation enacted; at least three valuation tools (environmental, social, economic) applied by 2020
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. Names five specific watersheds but "deliberate actions" is not quantified; no area protected, pollution threshold, or restoration percentage is defined [§9].

Goal E — Implementation through participation, knowledge, and capacity

National commitment 16: By 2020, traditional knowledge, innovations, and practices of local communities are respected, fully integrated, and reflected in Convention implementation with full and effective participation.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 22 (inclusive participation)
  • Instruments: Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (LBSAPs); traditional knowledge documentation (target: by 2018, led by Copperbelt and Mulungushi Universities); Customary Land Bill ratification lobby (target: by 2017, led by House of Chiefs)
  • Indicators: Number of LBSAPs developed; indigenous knowledge documentation completed; Customary Land Bill status
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. No quantified participation metric; documentation and LBSAP targets add measurability to sub-actions but the commitment itself is qualitative [§9].

National commitment 17: By 2020, knowledge, the science base, and technologies relating to biodiversity are improved, widely shared, transferred, and applied.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 20 (capacity and technology), GBF Target 21 (data and information)
  • Instruments: National research agenda (target: by 2016); CHM operational by 2017; biodiversity observatories in representative ecosystems
  • Indicators: Research agenda published; CHM operational; biodiversity monitoring personnel trained
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. No threshold for "improved" or "widely shared"; M&E tracks research agenda (2016) and CHM (2017) as proxy outputs [§9].

National commitment 18: By 2025, Zambia mobilises adequate internal and external financial resources compared to the period 1999–2014 for effective implementation of NBSAP-2.

  • GBF alignment: GBF Target 19 (finance mobilisation)
  • Instruments: BIOFIN Investment Plan; resource mobilisation strategy (target: by 2016); GEF; ODA; Payment for Ecosystem Services — see Finance section
  • Indicators: Volume of government funding per annum; volume of funding from multilateral, bilateral, private, and innovative sources
  • Measurability: Directional aspiration. Comparative standard ("compared to 1999–2014") without a published baseline dollar amount; "adequate" is undefined; BIOFIN will determine both the baseline and the target level [§9][§14].

Sources:

  • §9 — FUNDING BODIES > EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • §14 — CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION > CHAPTER 2: PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY
  • §26 — Chapter 1: Introduction > b) National parks and game management areas
  • §68 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 3/4)
  • §71 — PRINCIPLES > 4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (part 1/4)

4. Delivery Architecture

Legislation

Eighteen national statutes form the legal framework for biodiversity management [§18]. Several were enacted or revised during NBSAP-2 development:

  • Forest Act (2015) — establishes three institutional models: Community Forest Management, Joint Forest Management, and Private Forest Management, replacing earlier forestry legislation.
  • Wildlife Act (2015) — governing National Parks and Game Management Areas.
  • Environmental Management Act (2011) — the primary pollution control statute; the NBSAP-2 identifies stricter enforcement of EIA provisions as a priority.
  • Fisheries Act (2011) — provides a legislative basis for co-management by communities and private operators, though the NBSAP notes that "mechanisms to operationalize these legislative provisions have been weak and benefits to the co-managers have been unclear or not defined" [§67].
  • Water Resources Management Act (2011) and Biosafety Act No. 10 of 2007 round out the core environmental legal architecture.

Older statutes still in force include the Lands Act (1995), Natural Heritage Conservation Commission Act (1989), Natural Resources Conservation Act (1970), and the Noxious Weeds Act (1953) [§18].

National Strategies and Plans

The NBSAP-2 sits within a suite of planning instruments [§19]:

  • Vision 2030 — the overarching national development goal of transforming Zambia into a middle-income country.
  • National REDD+ Strategy (2015) — completed during NBSAP-2 development; the primary instrument for addressing deforestation.
  • Revised Sixth National Development Plan (R-SNDP, 2015) — the immediate vehicle for mainstreaming biodiversity into sectoral, provincial, and district budgeting [§66].
  • National Climate Change Response Strategy (2011) and National Adaptation Programme of Action (2007).
  • Integrated Water Resources Management Plan (2011).

Protected Area Architecture

Zambia's statutory protected area network spans approximately 40% of national territory: 480 Forest Reserves (175 National Forests, 305 Local Forests; combined 74,361 km²), 20 National Parks (63,630 km², 8.5% of land area), 36 Game Management Areas (approximately 167,557 km², 22%), and 59 Botanical Reserves [§24][§26]. Eight Ramsar sites cover 40,305 km², including Bangweulu Swamps (11,000 km²) and Barotse Floodplain (9,000 km²) [§27].

Game Management Areas function as sustainable-use zones, providing regulated hunting and non-consumptive tourism concessions. Part of hunting concession proceeds accrues to local communities through Community Resource Boards and traditional leaders — the existing benefit-sharing mechanism for wildlife that NBSAP-2 proposes extending across other sectors (see Flex Section 2).

Species Recovery Programmes

The 2015 biodiversity assessment recorded 12,506 species in Zambia, with at least 144 plant and 28 animal species classified as threatened [§68]. The NBSAP-2 establishes species-specific programmes for the Kafue Lechwe, Black Rhino, Shoebill, Wattled Crane, Black-cheeked lovebird, and Zambian Barbet, with population baselines to be established for 28 flagship species. For the endemic Devil's claw (Harpagophytum) in the Kalahari Sands and Rosewood (Guibourtia coleosperma) — described as "under immense pressure of over-exploitation" — the plan commits to participatory resource inventories and community-led sustainable harvesting programmes [§68].

Regional Agreements

Zambia is party to 12 regional agreements relevant to biodiversity [§20], including the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area Treaty (2006), the Agreement on the Action Plan for Environmentally Sound Management of the Common Zambezi River System (1987), and SADC protocols on wildlife conservation and law enforcement (1999), fisheries (2001), forests (2002), and shared watercourses (2000).

Sources:

  • §18 — CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION > National Legislations
  • §19 — CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION > National Plans and Strategies
  • §20 — CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION > Regional Agreements/Protocols
  • §24 — Chapter 1: Introduction > 3.3.1.1 Protected area (PA) system
  • §26 — Chapter 1: Introduction > b) National parks and game management areas
  • §27 — Chapter 1: Introduction > c) Wetlands of international importance
  • §66 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 1/4)
  • §67 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 2/4)
  • §68 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 3/4)

Five Watersheds, One Governance Commitment: Protecting Zambia's Freshwater Foundations

Watershed protection is not a peripheral mention in NBSAP-2 — it is a structuring principle running through national commitments, ecosystem service valuation, and proposed legislation.

National commitment 15 names the Zambezi, Kafue, Chambeshi, Bangweulu, and Luangwa watersheds explicitly, committing to deliberate actions for their protection by 2025 [§70]. The economic rationale is quantified: forests tied to these systems provide sediment retention valued at US$237 million per annum, pollination services at US$74 million per annum, and support hydropower generation that anchors the national energy system [§43].

The threat context is specific. Dam infrastructure — Kariba, Itezhi-tezhi, and Kafue Gorge — has disrupted the natural flood-pulse of the Zambezi floodplain, contributing to a decline of over 50% in the endemic Kafue Lechwe population. Mining activities are documented as transforming habitats in National Parks including Kafue, Lochinvar, and Mweru-Wantipa [§46]. Agricultural expansion and deforestation further reduce water quality and availability across the five watershed systems [§70].

The NBSAP-2 proposes a distinctive governance response: legislating the headwaters of the Zambezi, Kafue, and Luangwa rivers as no-go areas for large-scale infrastructure development, including mining [§70]. This represents a statutory exclusion zone rather than aspirational watershed management language — a specific governance mechanism that distinguishes Zambia's approach from generic watershed protection commitments found in most NBSAPs.

The M&E framework assigns the headwater legislation as a one-off milestone to the Department of Environment and Forestry Department, with a single scheduled reporting point [§71]. The strategy also commits to applying at least three valuation tools — environmental, social, and economic — to quantify and monitor biodiversity values in these systems by 2020, and identifies Payment for Ecosystem Services as an innovative financing mechanism tied directly to watershed function [§69][§70].

Sources:

  • §43 — 3.4.2 Value of biodiversity resources for ecosystem services > d) Forests and forest resources
  • §46 — 3.4.3 Threats to biodiversity > 3.4.3.1 Habitat transformation
  • §69 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 4/4)
  • §70 — PRINCIPLES > Narrative
  • §71 — PRINCIPLES > 4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (part 1/4)

5. Monitoring and Accountability

Governance Structure

Implementation oversight rests with the ministry responsible for environment and natural resources as CBD Focal Point [§75]. Three tiers support this:

  • National Steering Committee — overall guidance and management oversight, established at NBSAP-1 inception.
  • NBSAP Working Group — technical guidance and document review.
  • Designated implementation roles for ZEMA, the Wildlife and National Parks ministry, and the Fisheries ministry.

Cross-sectoral coordination involves the Ministries responsible for Mines, Energy, Water, Justice, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Local Government, and Chiefs and Traditional Affairs [§75]. The local government ministry leads development of Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (LBSAPs) at district level.

Monitoring Framework

The M&E framework employs a Logical Monitoring Matrix structured at target and output level — not activity level. It tracks 46 strategic interventions across all 18 national commitments, specifying for each: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), data gathering methods, collection frequency, responsible entity, baseline, and target value [§71]. Baselines are set at 2015 for most indicators; several are marked "to be determined" at the time of publication.

Data collection frequencies range from annual (most indicators) to bi-annual (biodiversity valuations, fisheries baselines, forest and wildlife inventories) to one-off milestones (SeNDP integration, Nagoya Protocol accession, headwater legislation) [§71][§72][§73]. Responsible entities are distributed across sectoral departments — Department of Environment, ZEMA, Forestry Department, Department of Fisheries, ZAWA, ZARI — rather than concentrated in a single body.

Evaluation and Reporting Schedule

Activity Date
CHM operational 2017
Independent mid-term evaluation Mid-2017
Sixth National Report 2018
Final independent evaluation 2021
Seventh National Report 2022
NBSAP-3 development Final period (post-2022)

Quarterly review meetings and annual review and planning meetings are convened by the CBD Focal Point and CBD Working Group throughout the implementation period [§74].

Sources:

  • §71 — PRINCIPLES > 4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (part 1/4)
  • §72 — PRINCIPLES > 4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (part 2/4)
  • §73 — PRINCIPLES > 4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (part 3/4)
  • §74 — PRINCIPLES > 4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (part 4/4)
  • §75 — PRINCIPLES > 5.1 Coordination

From Wildlife Revenue to Watershed Governance: Zambia's Benefit-Sharing Framework

Zambia's benefit-sharing commitments extend an existing, tested model — the Community Resource Board system in the wildlife sub-sector — into an economy-wide architecture spanning six sectors.

The baseline model operates within Game Management Areas: a portion of hunting concession licence fees accrues to local communities through Community Resource Boards, with a share going to the local traditional leader [§70]. This mechanism is functional but narrow, applying only to wildlife concessions.

NBSAP-2 commits to scaling this model through two national commitments. National commitment 13 sets a target for a generic national benefit-sharing mechanism for genetic resources by 2020. National commitment 14 targets Nagoya Protocol accession by 2016 and commencement of domestication by 2018 [§9]. Together these provide the international legal framework and the national institutional architecture for the scale-up.

The scaling vehicle is a set of sector-specific Benefit Distribution Systems (BDS) to be developed for forestry, fisheries, wildlife, agriculture, mining, and infrastructure development [§69][§70]. Each sector would have benefit-sharing rules built on the generic national framework.

Two legislative instruments carry particular weight in this architecture. The Fisheries Act (2011) already recognises co-management by both industrial companies and local communities — but the NBSAP acknowledges that "mechanisms to operationalize these legislative provisions have been weak and benefits to the co-managers have been unclear or not defined" [§67]. The Customary Land Bill — for which the NBSAP commits to lobbying Parliament for ratification by 2017, led by the House of Chiefs — would give Traditional Authorities decision-making powers over land tenure within their jurisdictions [§70]. The strategy frames customary land rights not as a social co-benefit but as a governance prerequisite: in areas where most biodiversity resources are located, effective conservation management depends on clarified and recognised tenure.

The Forest Act (2015) introduces Community Forest Management as a new institutional track, but benefit distribution systems for forestry had not been defined at the time of NBSAP-2 publication [§70].

Sources:

  • §9 — FUNDING BODIES > EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • §67 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 2/4)
  • §69 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 4/4)
  • §70 — PRINCIPLES > Narrative

6. Finance and Resource Mobilisation

Zambia's NBSAP-2 contains no costed implementation budget. The Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection explicitly states it "will proceed to prepare an Investment Plan for NBSAP2 through the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) Project," which "will cost the NBSAP and recommend sources of funds" [§14][§74]. This deferral responds to a documented lesson from NBSAP-1: that implementation was constrained by "the absence of a clear resource mobilization plan," resulting in activities that were "mostly ad-hoc, project-based with low coordination" [§59].

National commitment 18 commits Zambia to mobilising "adequate internal and external financial resources compared to the period 1999 to 2014" by 2025, with the Ministry of Finance and MLNREP as lead agencies [§9]. No baseline dollar figure for the 1999–2014 period is published in the strategy; BIOFIN will determine both the baseline and the mobilisation target.

The resource mobilisation approach identifies five channels: government budgetary allocations; the GEF (CBD Financial Mechanism); bilateral and multilateral ODA; private finance; and innovative sources including foundations and Payment for Ecosystem Services [§74]. The NBSAP-2 revision itself was financed through GEF via UNEP, with additional support from The Nature Conservancy and the Zambian Government Treasury [§7].

Two domestic instruments receive specific treatment. The Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) — a mechanism to which mining and industrial companies are legally required to contribute — is proposed for transfer from the ministry responsible for mines to Central Treasury, with its scope broadened to cover biodiversity conservation beyond the extractive sector. A 2014 report by the Office of the Auditor General documented systematic failure by mining companies to make legally required EPF contributions [§67]. The strategy also references the carbon tax as a potential biodiversity finance instrument [§66].

Sources:

  • §3 — PREFACE
  • §7 — FUNDING BODIES
  • §9 — FUNDING BODIES > EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • §14 — CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION > CHAPTER 2: PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY
  • §59 — 3.4.5.2 Lack of a resource mobilization plan
  • §66 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 1/4)
  • §67 — PRINCIPLES > 4.2 The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (part 2/4)
  • §74 — 5.3 Resource Mobilization

7. GBF Target Coverage

This NBSAP was submitted before the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (December 2022). Target mappings are inferred and were not part of the document's original scope.

GBF Target 1: Spatial planning — Mentioned

Integrated land use planning is addressed as a strategic intervention under national commitments 5 and 7 (deforestation reduction and sustainable forestry management), rather than as a standalone spatial planning commitment. The strategy calls for institutionalising integrated land use planning across sectors and conducting it in targeted biodiversity landscapes. The situation analysis documents habitat transformation from shifting cultivation in northern Zambia, conversion of forest land in eastern and central-southern regions, and pervasive encroachment of protected areas — by 2011, less than half the National Forest estate was considered free from encroachment.

GBF Target 2: Ecosystem restoration — Mentioned

Restoration features in the NBSAP-2 vision statement and under national commitment 15 (watershed protection), but without a quantified national restoration target. The strategy references Aichi Target 15's 15% restoration objective and identifies REDD+ as relevant to forest restoration, but sets no specific national restoration area or percentage. Habitat restoration is identified as a critical need for the Kafue river system specifically.

GBF Target 3: Protected areas (30x30) — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 10 commits to rationalising Zambia's Protected Area network for representativeness and ecological connectivity by 2020. Zambia's existing protected area network — National Parks (8.5%), Game Management Areas (22%), and Forest Reserves — covers approximately 40% of land area, already exceeding the GBF's 30x30 goal. Management effectiveness was assessed using the METTPAZ tool across 19 National Parks, with only South Luangwa rating "High" and ten parks falling into "Low" categories; all sampled GMAs in the Luangwa and Kafue ecosystems have been encroached by settlements and agriculture. The strategy commits to GMA rezoning to identify and protect wildlife refugia, regularisation of Forest Management Plans for National Parks to ensure habitat connectivity and climate resilience, and promotion of Community Forest Management, Joint Forest Management, and Private Forest Management under the Forest Act (2015). METTPAZ scores across all National Parks serve as the primary KPIs.

GBF Target 4: Species recovery — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 11 commits to improving and sustaining populations of threatened and endemic species and their protection status by 2022, with quantified sub-targets for two species: the Kafue Lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis), endemic to Zambia, from approximately 30,000 to 39,000 individuals by 2020 (30% increase); and the Black Rhino from 42 to 51 individuals by 2020 (21% increase). Population baselines are to be established for 28 flagship species, including the Shoebill, Wattled Crane, Black-cheeked lovebird, and Zambian Barbet. The Kafue Lechwe has declined by over 50% in recent decades due to hydrological disruption from dam infrastructure. These species-level arithmetic targets are among the most granular recovery commitments in any African NBSAP. ZAWA carries primary implementation responsibility for both quantified sub-targets.

GBF Target 5: Sustainable harvest — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 4 commits to establishing baselines for sustainable production and utilisation of fisheries, forests, and wildlife by 2020, with fish stock assessments for all species by 2020 and wildlife surveys for all large mammals by 2018. National commitment 6 establishes fisheries co-management regimes in 60% of all major fisheries by 2020, operationalising the Fisheries Act (2011). The situation analysis names specific overexploited timber species — Afzelia quanzensis, Pterocarpus angolensis, and Khaya nyasica — as locally threatened despite protected status under Forest Law, and documents a decline in caterpillar worm (Gonimbrasia belina) harvests in Mpika, Chinsali, and central Zambia between 2008 and 2013 due to overexploitation and declining selective harvesting.

GBF Target 6: Invasive alien species — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 9 commits to identifying, prioritising, controlling, or eradicating four named invasive species — Mimosa pigra, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus), and Lantana camara — and managing pathways by 2020. The situation analysis documents specific ecological dynamics: Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), which escaped from aquaculture into the Kafue River in the 1980s, is now as common as the native O. andersonii throughout the Kafue system between Itezhi-tezhi and Kafue Gorge dams. Mimosa pigra and Dichrostachys cinerea are expanding in the Kafue Flats at the expense of indigenous herbaceous plants and grassland ecosystems, linked in part to climate change and flood regime regulation. The M&E framework targets fully-fledged control programmes for all identified invasive species by 2017.

GBF Target 7: Pollution reduction — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 8 commits to bringing pollution from industry — mining, agriculture, and others — to levels not detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity by 2020. The situation analysis documents high concentrations of heavy metals in fish near Chililabombwe in the Upper Kafue River from mining effluent, and negative impacts on butterfly, dragonfly, and benthic invertebrate diversity from elevated conductivity and turbidity in the Kafue system. Non-targeted organo-insecticide spraying for trypanosomiasis control is identified as damaging to non-target invertebrates. Implementation relies on the Environmental Management Act (2011), revised EIA regulations (pending at time of publication), and the Environmental Protection Fund — for which the 2014 Auditor General report found systematic non-compliance by mining companies. ZEMA benchmarks effluent load reductions and holds primary monitoring responsibility.

GBF Target 8: Climate and biodiversity — Tier 1 Addressed

Climate change is treated as a cross-cutting threat with dedicated vulnerability analysis. The strategy documents temperature increases of approximately 1.3°C over recent decades and projects increases of 1–3.5°C by 2050, with species-specific impacts identified: the baobab's distribution is projected to contract from a continuous range to four isolated areas; declining water levels threaten fish stocks; the Black-cheeked lovebird is at risk from drying water bodies in south-western Zambia; and tick-borne disease vector ranges are projected to expand. National commitment 7 includes climate vulnerability assessments and mainstreaming of climate change adaptation, with Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and REDD+ as primary instruments. The National REDD+ Strategy was completed in 2015. Forest Management Plans for National Parks are to be regularised to ensure habitat connectivity as wildlife refuges under climate change conditions.

GBF Target 9: Wild species use — Tier 1 Addressed

The NBSAP addresses wild species use through national commitments 4 and 6 on baselines and fisheries co-management. Game Management Areas are explicitly designed for sustainable utilisation through regulated hunting and non-consumptive tourism concessions for the benefit of local communities and the nation, given that approximately 80% of Zambia's population is directly dependent on natural resources for fuel, food, income, raw materials, and medicines. An equitable Benefit Distribution System for fisheries co-management stakeholders is to be developed under the Fisheries Act (2011) framework.

GBF Target 10: Agriculture / forestry — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 5 sets a measurable target: reducing the deforestation rate by at least 25% by 2020 against a documented baseline of 250,000–300,000 ha/year. National commitment 7 commits to sustainable management of all agricultural, aquaculture, and forestry areas by 2025. Primary instruments include the Forest Act (2015) and Forest Policy (2014), the REDD+ National Strategy, fire management plans targeting a 30% reduction in wildfire incidence in critical biodiversity areas, and promotion of alternative energy technologies to reduce wood fuel dependence. Community Forest Management, Joint Forest Management, and Private Forest Management are the three institutional models established under the Forest Act.

GBF Target 11: Ecosystem services (NbS) — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 15 commits to deliberate actions protecting critical ecosystems of the Zambezi, Kafue, Chambeshi, Bangweulu, and Luangwa watersheds by 2025 (see also Flex Section 1 for full treatment). The strategy provides specific ecosystem service valuations for forests: sediment retention at US$237 million per annum, pollination at US$74 million per annum, and carbon stocks at approximately US$15 million per annum [§43]. The proposed headwater legislation — designating major river headwaters as no-go areas for large-scale infrastructure including mining — is the primary governance instrument. At least three valuation tools (environmental, social, economic) are to be applied by 2020. Payment for Ecosystem Services is identified as an innovative financing mechanism directly tied to watershed function.

GBF Target 12: Urban biodiversity — Mentioned

The NBSAP does not set a target or strategy for urban biodiversity. The topic appears only as a documented threat: forest reserves surrounding Lusaka have been converted to urban land use or severely degraded, with some encroached upon by settlements. The strategy's response falls under broader protected area management and anti-encroachment measures rather than a dedicated urban biodiversity programme.

GBF Target 13: Genetic resources / ABS — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 13 commits Zambia to defining and enforcing a generic national benefit-sharing mechanism for genetic resources by 2020. National commitment 14 sets two binary milestones: Nagoya Protocol accession by 2016 and commencement of domestication by 2018. National commitment 12 commits to maintaining genetic diversity of cultivated plants, domesticated animals, and wild relatives by 2025. Zambia holds 7,278 germplasm accessions conserved ex-situ from at least 107 cultivated plant species, with 567 crop wild relatives identified. Three indigenous cattle breeds are named: Barotse, Angoni, and Tonga. Sector-specific Benefit Distribution Systems are to be developed for forestry, fisheries, wildlife, agriculture, mining, and infrastructure — building from the existing Community Resource Board model in the wildlife sector into an economy-wide architecture.

GBF Target 14: Mainstreaming — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 2 commits to integrating biodiversity values into the Seventh National Development Plan, provincial and district development plans, and national accounting by 2020, with SeNDP integration as a 2017 milestone. The M&E framework tracks the number of sectoral, provincial, and district plans integrating biodiversity values as a KPI. National commitment 3 pairs development of positive incentives (at least one per sector by 2017) with identification and phase-out of harmful subsidies. NBSAP-2 is aligned with Vision 2030 and the national development planning cycle; 13 national policies bearing on biodiversity are identified across environment, agriculture, energy, and biotechnology.

GBF Target 15: Business disclosure — Not identified

Content addressing GBF Target 15 was not identified in this NBSAP.

GBF Target 16: Sustainable consumption — Mentioned

The NBSAP references Aichi Target 4 on sustainable production and consumption, and national commitment 1 commits to raising awareness so Zambians can conserve and use biodiversity sustainably. However, the strategy does not contain specific commitments on reducing food waste, decreasing overconsumption, or changing consumption patterns as distinct from production practices. Sustainability is addressed primarily from the production side through fisheries, forestry, and agriculture management targets.

GBF Target 17: Biosafety — Tier 1 Addressed

Zambia maintains a precautionary approach to GMOs, having enacted the Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy (2003) and the Biosafety Act No. 10 of 2007 with associated regulations. No GMO cultivation had commenced at the time of NBSAP-2 publication. The National Biosafety Authority Board was inaugurated in 2015, charged with regulating research, development, application, import, export, transit, contained use, and release of genetically modified organisms to prevent harm to human and animal health or damage to the environment and biological diversity. Two GMO detection laboratories were established. Enhancing institutional capacity for the national biosafety framework is identified as an action under national commitment 12.

GBF Target 18: Harmful subsidies — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 3 commits to identifying the most harmful subsidies and initiating their gradual phase-out by 2019, while simultaneously developing selected positive incentives for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. No specific harmful subsidies are named in the strategy text — identification is itself a target action. The M&E framework tracks the number of harmful subsidies analysed and the number of positive incentives applied per sector, with at least one incentive per sector targeted by 2017. Lead responsibility rests with MLNREP, the Ministry of Development Planning, and the Ministry of Finance.

GBF Target 19: Finance mobilisation — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 18 commits to mobilising adequate internal and external financial resources compared to the period 1999–2014 by 2025. The strategy explicitly defers costing to the BIOFIN Investment Plan and draws a direct lesson from NBSAP-1's absence of a resource mobilisation framework. The five-channel approach covers government allocations, GEF, ODA, private finance, and innovative sources including Payment for Ecosystem Services. No baseline figure for the 1999–2014 comparison period is published; the quantitative target cannot be derived from the source material. The resource mobilisation strategy was to be developed by 2016.

GBF Target 20: Capacity and technology — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 17 commits to improving, sharing, transferring, and applying biodiversity knowledge, science, and technologies by 2020. A national research agenda is targeted for development by 2016. Biodiversity observatories in representative ecosystems are proposed. Capacity building features across multiple commitments: training personnel for biodiversity monitoring, strengthening fisheries monitoring among stakeholders, and building capacity for integrated land use planning. The strategy acknowledges that Zambia may require external support to address its data challenges. The Southern Africa Science Services Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management and the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) are identified as key institutional stakeholders.

GBF Target 21: Data and information — Tier 1 Addressed

NBSAP-2's M&E framework was designed explicitly to address NBSAP-1's failure — that implementation lacked "an effective monitoring and evaluation framework with clear baselines and institutional arrangements for data collection, reporting and archiving." The framework covers all 18 national commitments through a Logical Monitoring Matrix tracking 46 strategic interventions. A functional Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) for biodiversity information sharing is targeted by 2017. Updated baselines are committed for fish (all species by 2020), tree species (all by 2018 using ILUA II data), and wildlife (all large mammals by 2018). The evaluation schedule runs to 2022 with two independent external evaluations (mid-2017 and 2021) and two National Reports (2018 and 2022).

GBF Target 22: Inclusive participation — Tier 1 Addressed

National commitment 16 commits to ensuring traditional knowledge, innovations, and practices of local communities are respected, fully integrated, and reflected in Convention implementation with full and effective participation by 2020. NBSAP-2 was developed through consultations with more than 500 stakeholders at national and provincial levels. Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (LBSAPs) are to be developed incorporating proven indigenous knowledge, with Copperbelt University and Mulungushi University tasked with documenting traditional knowledge by 2018. The Customary Land Bill — for which the NBSAP commits to lobbying for parliamentary ratification by 2017, led by the House of Chiefs — would give Traditional Authorities decision-making powers over land tenure within their jurisdictions, framing community land rights as a governance prerequisite rather than a co-benefit.

GBF Target 23: Gender equality — Mentioned

The NBSAP makes several references to gender but does not include dedicated targets, actions, or indicators. The methodology section references the need to mainstream biodiversity conservation "considering gender and people's rights," and the preface states the strategy "belongs to all people of Zambia including practitioners of biodiversity conservation, local communities, women and the youth." No specific actions, indicators, or institutional responsibilities for gender equality in biodiversity management are set out in the strategy.