Zimbabwe has lost 4 989 548 hectares of wooded land to various causes inspired by both human and natural factors between 1992 and 2008, an official with the Forestry Commission has said. In an interview on the sidelines of a Regional Workshop on Reduction of Deforestation and Degradation in Kariba last week, Mr Member Mushongahande said Zimbabwe had the highest level of deforestation that was pegged at 1,6 percent per year while Malawi had one percent with Zambia experiencing the least at between 0,3 and 0,4 percent per year.

The workshop, dubbed the "Regional Workshop on REDD+ Readiness in Miombo Woodland Countries" drew participants from Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The participants sought to find ways of containing deforestation, environmental degradation and strategies of producing and harnessing carbon for commercial purposes in the Miombo eco-region.