The National Conservation Strategy (NCS), adopted by the Government of Zambia in 1985 has been the main policy document on the environment. The NCS led to the establishment of environmental legislation and institutions. The NCS was developed to manage natural resources and the environment in the context of a centrally planned and controlled economy.
The goal of the NCS was to satisfy the basic needs of all the people of Zambia, both present and future generations, through the wise management of natural resources.
The objectives of the NCS were threefold:
• To ensure the sustainable use of Zambia’s renewable natural resources;
• To maintain Zambia’s biological diversity; and
• To maintain essential ecological processes and life-support systems.
The NCS triggered the enactment in 1990 of the Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act (EPPCA) which is a regulatory instrument that cuts across sectors; and the creation in 1991, of the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) to regulate environmental matters and deal with related issues