Zambia: Rare Zambian Tree Faces Exploitation Because of Legal Loophole

19 September 2014

Rufunsa — Steven Nyambose used to sell charcoal for a living until he discovered that the trees could be more lucrative in another way - through cutting them down and selling the logs to international buyers.

"We used to see this [Mukula] tree and think of it being just like any other, not knowing that it is a gold mine on its own. And now that the buyers are plenty, we have changed the business focus from the usual charcoal burning and hunting to the lucrative business of cutting and selling the Mukula logs," Nyambose, a resident of Rufunsa, which lies about 200 kilometres east of Zambia's capital Lusaka, told IPS.

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