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ZAMBIAN ECONOMIST
Economic perspectives on Zambia 
1
MINING IN NATIONAL PARKS? THE FUTURE OF ZAMBIA’S MINING INDUSTRY? 
Driving through the national parks in Zambia, there are many things that you might expectto see as you. It is likely that you will come across impala and baboons, perhaps roan andbushbuck and even elephant. You will probably also see other 4X4 vehicles filled with theusual assortment of tourists, locals and game scouts. What you are not expecting to comeacross is a large mining truck or prospectors surveying the landscape. Yet more and morepeople in Zambia are reporting these experiences and raising questions about theimplications of what they have witnessed, and, in turn, the effects of the mining industrybeyond the Zambian economy.
On paper and in person, evidence abounds of Zambia’
s growing economy. While several
factors contribute to Zambia’s current ‘boom’, most would point to the mining industry as
the key growth sector. And they would be correct. Since the completion of the privatization
process in 2000, the mining sector’s cont
ribution to Zambian GDP has increased from 6.4%in 2000 to 11% in 2010. Copper production levels, which were at a low of 256,884 tons perannum in 2000, have now reached 745,000 tons, almost matching, and probably soon tosurpass, peak 1972 levels of 750,000 tons. These numbers indicate not only higher outputs,but also increased tax revenue, the creation of jobs and the growth of many supportindustries.Increased growth also means increased regulation and planning on the part of the ZambianGovernment. In a recent speech at the Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference,Honourable Maxwell M. B. Mwale, the former Minister of 
Mines and Mineral Developmen
t,described the measures the Zamb
ian Government was undertaking to ensure ‘bestpractices’ in this growing industry. These include increased investment, increased output,
increased Government revenue, increased job opportunities and increased exports. All of these goals are intended, as Mwale explained, to
‘improve the competitiveness of theindustry’ and to ‘improve infrastructure and labour productivity’ 
. While keeping in mind the
fluctuations of world copper prices, he concluded, mining would remain the ‘backbone of Zambia’s economy’.
 Yet, despite the many positive effects the mining industry is having on the Zambianeconomy and the efforts of the Government to ensure sustainable economic development,there are other issues, including conflicting information and questions surrounding mining
in Zambia’s national parks. This conflicting information is a major concern of Dr. Godwin M.
Beene, the Permanent Secretary of the
Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development 
. In
reaction to the public’s concern over the mining taking place in national
parks, he was quickto emphasize that the only activity currently taking place was prospecting. There is no figureavailable for the number of prospecting licenses issued with the national parks specifically,but there are numerous within Zambia overall, and increasing by the day. Beene explained,
however, that the prospecting licenses went with the strict instructions to ‘Go, look, see’,
inclusive only of aerial and ground surveys and the procurement of small samples, and thatthere were currently no licenses issued or returns made on any mine within a Zambiannational park.Despite this hard line, it has not just been the public that has raised questions about miningin protected areas. Beene described a wide range of outside interest resulting largely from
 
ZAMBIAN ECONOMIST
Economic perspectives on Zambia 
2
what he terms the plethora of ‘misinformation’ going around about mining in Zambia. For
example, recently the
United Nations Heritage commission
requested to visit all mineslocated within national parks, only to be told that there are none. Beene went on to say thatthe interest of outside such as the
United Nations Heritage Commission
parties basicallyensured that no mining license would be issued within a national park due to its failure topass an Environmental Impact Assessment, required of all mining applications. The onlyexception to this, according to Beene, would be if oil or natural gas resources werediscovered, which is currently being prospected for in Western Province, including withinprotected areas. So far, national parks and national heritage sites have remained relativelyfree of any damage from mining, with the exception of parts of Kafue National Park, wheremuch of the environmental damage can be attributed to historical mining and the runoff from the Copperbelt. However, overall, Beene argues,
‘engineers today build with theenvironment in mind’.
 
Where, then, is the source of this misinformation? An Internet search for ‘mining in LowerZambezi national park’ turns up a number of results. Mid
-way down the first page,underneath the forums and blogs expressing concern over current and/or future miningactivities within environmentally protected areas is a link a PDF document from ZambeziResources
1
.
The title of the document is ‘Zambezi License Application for Kangaluwi Copper
Project Approved by Za
mbian Authorities’. After submitting a prospecting application in
December of 2010, the announcement explains that
‘Zambezi has been informed that the
license application submitted by its wholly owned subsidiary Mwembeshi has beensuccessful and it has been granted a LSML 15547-HQ-LML over the proposed mining area at Kangal 
uwi…within the Lower Zambezi National Park’ 
. The ‘LSML’ in the license numberrefers to a ‘large scale mining license’, which, according the website of the Ministry of Mines
and Minerals Development
‘confers exclusive rights to carry out mining operations and other acts reasonably incidental thereto in the area for a maximum of 25 years’ 
. It would appearthen, that there is more than just prospecting going on within the national parks.With the increasing number of prospectors and the apparent move towards allowing largescale mining projects within national parks in Zambia, the
 Zambia Wildlife Authority 
(ZAWA)is also becoming increasingly concerned. ZAWA, according to public relations officer Wilfred
Moonga, is in charge of ‘not just the wildlife’ but the historical, pre
-historical, cultural and
mineral resources within the protected areas of Zambia. It is ZAWA’s responsibility t
o attachthemselves to any group working within the park, whether it is a game lodge or a miningcompany with a prospecting license. Regarding mining, however, Moonga explained that
ZAWA has ‘always fought these things’ and, while it depends on the scale o
f the miningtaking place, the stand within the Authority is largely negative.
The real problem, however, according to Moonga, is that ‘policies and legislation overlap’
between those mandated by the
Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development 
and thoseenforced by ZAWA. This points to a larger problem within the Zambian Government, onethat is slowly being alleviated by harmonizing all legislation within the different sectors of Government. This harmonization process is not without its complications though.
” 
It seems
the mining act supersedes all these other acts and I don’t know why,” 
Moonga argued,pointing to contention between the different facets of Government.
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 http://www.zambeziresources.com/_content/documents/862.pdf  
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