The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), in collaboration with GRID-Arendal and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), prepared the Zambia Atlas of Our Changing Environment. The main objective of the atlas is to provide science-based and credible evidence of the changes that have occurred in Zambia, as well as their causes, and to communicate the urgency of addressing them to policy and decision makers and the public. The specific objectives of the Atlas are to: 

1. Identify environmental changes that have occurred in Zambia and propose appropriate measures to prevent, manage and/or mitigate their impacts; and 

2. Strengthen Integrated Environmental Assessment and Reporting processes by linking the atlas to the Zambia Environment Outlook (ZEO) 4 report and environmental indicators.

The preparation of the Atlas was conducted through a participatory approach, which involved relevant stakeholders such as government departments, local authorities, the private sector, civil society and community leaders. A comprehensive review of information and peer- reviewed reports was conducted to identify the salient environmental issues in Zambia. The Atlas brings to light stories of environmental change in Zambia through the use of satellite imagery, photographs and maps. Graphs and charts have also been used in addition to descriptive text to bring out the major issues in Zambia. The Atlas contains three Chapters.

Tags: atlas energy forests soil water wetlands wildlife Zambia geology