World's first - BetterWorld Energy Prepares African Mine Site Regeneration with Pongamia

/ BetterWorld Energy/

For the first time, elite Pongamia pinnata will be planted in Sub-Saharan Africa to bring life to a post-mining landscape in Zambia. Copper tailings are produced after copper bearing rocks are crushed and leached with sulphuric acid. The copper concentrate is removed and the resulting sediments are pumped into a tailings storage facility. These are then reprocessed to remove any remaining copper, and the storage facility is left abandoned, ready for rehabilitation.

Preparing Pongamia Salpings

BetterWorld Energy has a unique strategy to revegetation that makes good environmental sense, but also good economic sense. Our approach creates a whole new post-mining economy, jobs that last beyond the revegetation activities, through the production of bioenergy, bio-pesticides, high value bio-pharmaceuticals and organic fertilisers and animal feeds from plus variety Pongamia pinnata..

jobs for the future

For the first time, ladies from the local community are provided with the chance to envision a future of stable employment in a healthy environment. The new skills they have learnt, planting and caring for the new saplings, will be of considerable value as we seek to scale our ecosystem regeneration activities to a much larger area.

BetterWorld provides first assessment of Zambia's Forest Ecosystem Services→

/ BetterWorld Energy Ltd/
BetterWorld provides first assessment of Zambia's Forest Ecosystem Services

The aim of this study was to undertake a rapid assessment of the value and role of forests in the Zambian economy based on available information in order to inform policy decisions on forest management and the implementation of REDD+ activities in Zambia. The study is part of the country’s National UN-REDD Programme. REDD+ 1 is a financial mechanism designed to reward developing countries for their verified reductions or removals of forest carbon emissions compared to a forest reference (emission) level that complies with the relevant safeguards. Forests are an important component of Zambia’s natural capital and provide benefits that are critical for rural populations, urban areas, the national economy and the global community. Out of Zambia’s total land area of 75.3 million ha, estimates of remaining forest range from 39 million ha (CSO 2013) to 50 million ha (Kalinda et al. 2008) or 53 million ha (ZFD 2000). Estimates of deforestation rates range from 113,000 ha in 2012 by Global Forest Watch 2 to 167,000 ha per year in FAO’s Global Forest Resource Assessment (FAO 2010) and 250,000 ha per year (ILUA study) to even over 850,000 ha per year (FAO 2001, in Jumbe et al. 2008; GRZ 2006a). Zambia has the second highest per capita deforestation rate in Africa and the fifth highest in the world (Aongola et al. 2009). The main direct drivers of deforestation are charcoal production, agricultural and human-settlement expansion and illegal exploitation of timber. The study assessed the values of forests in the form of wood production (for timber, fuel wood and charcoal) and nonwood forest products, such as wild foods and medicines. In addition, regulating and cultural services were included, such as the economic value of nature-related tourism, regulation of the climate through carbon sequestration, the retention of sediment for erosion control, the regulation of water flow and water quality, and support for agricultural production through pest control and pollination. The study assesses the critical role that forest ecosystems play in sus - taining and supporting the stocks and flow of ecosystem services to various economic sectors and human well-be - ing in Zambia, as well as addressing potential opportunities that forests offer with respect to transitioning to a green economy, particularly the role of REDD+ in achieving this transformation. It is envisioned that this study will help to elevate the importance of sustainable forest management and conservation in national policy, for example through the national REDD+ strategy.

Read More