Care For Nature Zambia Empowers Communities To Hold Polluters Accountable

Care for Nature Zambia is confident that communities such as those living in mining areas in Mansa District will now be able to hold polluters accountable following sensitization on new mining and environmental laws.

In a statement today, Organization Executive Director, Nsama Musonda Kearns stated that the Mineral Regulation Commission Act of 2024 provides for consent from chiefs and land owners, and also provides for community access to water and grazing land including fair compensation.

Ms. Kearns added that the Act requires all mining operations to produce either an Environmental and Social Project Brief for smaller projects or a full Environmental and Social Impact Statement for larger ones.

This came to light during a training session held in Mwale Village where community members affected by mining learned about their human rights.

The project, dubbed “Institutional Strengthening – Growing together with communities,” is funded by the Southern Africa Trust and implemented by Care for Nature Zambia.

Ms. Kearns observed that to align with the new Act, Zambia has revised its Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations under Statutory Instrument No. 3 of 2026.

She noted that the revised regulations have lowered costs and shortened review timelines, ensuring that every project application receives stakeholder comments before approval.

Ms. Kearns advanced that with this knowledge, communities will now be able to be part and parcel of development taking place and hold polluters to account.

She said that the training also provided basic guidance on restoration using indigenous plants and crops to rehabilitate damaged environments.

Meanwhile, Village Headman Mwale stated that his community has long suffered from water pollution and land loss linked to mining activities.

He guided that the new legal framework gives his people hope that their rights will finally be respected and that developers will be required to consult them properly.

Later in the day, Headman Mwale led participants to the project site where the restoration exercise will be demonstrated in the coming months.