MUPAPA WOOD LINKS FORESTS TO WEALTH CREATION
Mupapa Wood is seeking to link communities to timber trading, forest-based businesses and reliable markets while protecting the natural resources that support their livelihoods.
By Francis Maingaila ♥️
Shiwangandu, Zambia24 — 31 October 2026 — The Mupapa Wood Initiative is seeking to combine sustainable timber trading, environmental protection and community-based enterprises to create economic opportunities for rural communities while safeguarding forest resources in Muchinga Province.
Operating in Chindoshi under the Chiefdom of Chibesakunda, with opportunities extending to Chibale and surrounding communities, the initiative aims to help local people earn a living from their natural resources while ensuring that forests remain productive for future generations.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ruth Ironside Chande said the initiative would maintain timber harvesting and trading as its core business while opening up other income-generating opportunities for communities.
Speaking when she met Community Forest Management Groups (CFMGs) at Chibale School in Chief Mukwikile's Chiefdom on Wednesday, Ms Chande said these opportunities would include beekeeping, honey production, mushroom harvesting, finkubala collection and chikanda-related activities.
She said local people would have an opportunity to take a more active role in the forestry business by collecting, producing, processing, packaging and selling products from their surroundings.
Ms Chande said Mupapa Wood also intended to serve as an offtaker, buying suitable products from community producers and helping them find reliable markets.
She said many rural producers had products with commercial value but struggled to find dependable buyers and secure fair prices for their efforts.
The initiative would therefore work with community groups to organise production, improve product quality and support processing and packaging so that locally produced goods could compete in the market, she said.
Ms Chande said the company would also seek partnerships with timber buyers, processors, retailers, wholesalers and other potential customers to create stronger markets for forest products.
She added that women would have opportunities to participate in the businesses, particularly in honey production, food processing, packaging and marketing.
Ms Chande said environmental protection would remain central to the initiative because the businesses being introduced depended on healthy and well-managed forests.
She said communities would be encouraged to plant trees, collect seeds, raise seedlings and protect young trees, while taking responsibility for preventing forest fires and discouraging indiscriminate tree cutting.
The initiative also plans to work with Community Forest Management Groups to strengthen local involvement in forest monitoring, responsible harvesting and the restoration of degraded areas.
Ms Chande said a proposed warehouse in Chinsali would help with the coordination, storage and handling of products and business transactions.
She said Mupapa Wood would also explore carbon trading opportunities and partnerships to support forest restoration and environmental sustainability as the business developed.
Ms Kantu said Mupapa Wood had come to work with communities, not compete with them, describing the company as a big brother in the forestry industry whose experience and resources would help local people turn natural resources into sustainable sources of income.
She said the initiative was important because it linked environmental protection to practical economic benefits, showing communities that properly managed forests could support both conservation and livelihoods.
Ms Kantu said Community Forest Management Groups played an important role in protecting forests, preserving biodiversity and maintaining the ecological balance on which communities depended.
She explained that forests provided more than timber, offering opportunities for people to earn income from products such as honey, finkubala and mushrooms.
These products, she said, could provide a source of income when harvested responsibly, processed, packaged and sold.
Ms Kantu said Mupapa Wood's proposed role as an offtaker would help communities move beyond collecting forest products mainly for household consumption and begin turning them into marketable businesses.
She said community members would receive guidance and training in sustainable harvesting, processing and packaging, alongside support to identify markets for their products.
Ms Kantu urged residents to take an active part in the initiative, saying its success would depend on communities working together, managing their natural resources responsibly and making use of the opportunities available to them.
She said protecting the environment and improving people's livelihoods were closely connected, as forests remained valuable natural assets that needed responsible management to continue supporting communities.
He said Community Forest Management Groups had already been established to involve local people in protecting and managing forests, but the groups had not received the follow-up support needed to sustain their activities.
Chief Mukwikile expressed hope that Mupapa Wood would help revive the groups and give residents renewed opportunities to participate in forest conservation and income-generating activities.
He said forests were important to communities for reasons beyond timber and commercial products, as they protected water sources, supported wildlife, maintained ecological balance and sustained people's livelihoods.
The traditional leader warned that uncontrolled tree cutting and careless bush burning were putting these benefits at risk and threatening the natural resources on which communities depended.
He also disclosed that some residents had raised concerns about unscrupulous traders allegedly buying forests under the pretext of conducting timber business.
However, Chief Mukwikile said the information presented to him about Mupapa Wood was different, expressing confidence that the initiative intended to empower local people rather than displace them.
He said he had earlier met his headmen, who briefed him about concerns surrounding unscrupulous traders and urged vigilance against individuals seeking to take advantage of communities.
Chief Mukwikile urged Mupapa Wood to maintain close working relationships with residents and existing Community Forest Management Groups, stressing that local people needed to be involved in decisions affecting their natural resources.
He said communities also needed to understand the value of their forests so that they could make informed decisions and guard against unfair business practices.
The chief called for continued environmental education to help residents understand the dangers of indiscriminate tree cutting and uncontrolled bush burning.
He said forest protection was directly linked to everyday life because healthy forests supported agriculture, conserved water and sustained economic activities.
Chief Mukwikile also raised concern about the environmental impact of mining activities, particularly the cutting down of trees for poles used in mine rail infrastructure.
He observed that trees absorbed carbon dioxide, regulated temperatures, prevented soil erosion and provided habitats for wildlife, warning that their destruction weakened natural systems and exposed communities to environmental challenges.
Chief Mukwikile called on traditional leaders, communities, businesses and other stakeholders to work together to protect forests, saying conservation required shared responsibility and practical action.
He said the success of initiatives such as Mupapa Wood should be judged not only by the income and business opportunities they created, but also by their contribution to forest protection and improved community livelihoods.
For communities in Chindoshi, Chibale and surrounding areas, the initiative presents an opportunity to earn more from forest resources while taking a greater role in protecting the natural environment on which those livelihoods depend.
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