Barriers to policy implementation and implications for Zambia's forest ecosystems Felix Kanungwe Kalaba Copperbelt University, School of Natural Resources, Department of Plants and Environmental Sciences, P.O Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia abstract article info Article history: Received 16 December 2015 Received in revised form 22 March 2016 Accepted 8 April 2016 Available online xxxx Policies play a vital role in setting priorities and actions for forest use and management. High rates of forest loss can be attributed to failure by policies to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. It is argued that in most Least Developed Countries such as Zambia, adopted forest and natural resources policies are rarely put into effect resulting in ecosystem degradation. This study examined policy actor's perception of implementation of policies aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation and their implications for forest resources. To examine policy implementation, 55 policy actors were interviewed at national, regional and local levels. This included government officials, Non-Governmental Organisations, traditional leaders and local people. Interviews were analysed using discourse analysis. Findings show that policy implementations deficits are prevalent in Zambia's forest sector. Policy actors identi- fied the main barriers as inadequate institutional capacity, inadequate legal framework, political influences, inse- cure land tenure, poor funding, and lack of intersectoral coordination. The paper has shown gaps between policies and their implementation. To halt deforestation and forest degradation, it is imperative that formulated policies are implemented. This will require improved communication and coordination among government units and various stakeholders, sufficient resources and harmonizing policies and legal frameworks. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Policy implementation Deforestation Degradation Forest ecosystems 1. Introduction Forest ecosystems provide various ecosystem services to local people (foods, medicines, fodder, construction material) and the global population (carbon storage, regulation of water cycle) (Ernst et al., 2013; Kalaba et al., 2013). Despite the importance of forests, deforesta- tion and forest degradation remains a challenge in many developing countries, thereby reducing the flow of ecosystem services provided at local, national regional and global levels. Africa loses an average of 3.4 million hectares of forests annually (FAO, 2010). Deforestation and forest degradation accounts for approximately 12% of total greenhouse gases emissions (GHGs) and is the main source of emissions from developing countries (Ernst et al., 2013). Studies have highlighted several direct drivers of deforestation among them; expan- sion of agro-industrial plantations (Tegegne et al., 2016), subsistence slash and burn agriculture, charcoal production (Vinya et al., 2011; Syampungani et al., 2009), fuelwood collection (Ernst et al., 2013), infra- structure development and wood extraction (Tegegne et al., 2016). Most analysis in the drivers of deforestation literature has traditionally focused on direct drivers of forest loss while neglecting institutional and policy drivers that are important in informing policy and practice (Wehkamp et al., 2015). Additionally, past studies on understanding extent and drivers of deforestation and forest degradation have mainly been based on remote sensing (see Campbell et al., 2008) and reviews of literature (Dewees et al., 2010) and rarely include knowledge, information and the opinions of experts, policy makers and other policy actors (Tegegne et al., 2016). Zambia is a highly forested country in southern Africa with 60% of the total land area covered by forests. Deforestation is however high occur- ring at 250,000–300,000 ha annually (GRZ, 2008). Zambia being a REDD+ (Reduction from Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degra- dation) pilot country is reflecting on strategies to reduce deforestation. Wehkamp et al. (2015) have argued that when identifying deforestation drivers, it is imperative to consider the perspectives of actors who are in key positions to reduce deforestation. Understanding of policymakers' perception of drivers of deforestation is an important step towards a more holistic understanding of drivers that are difficult to define, quantify and measure (Wehkamp et al., 2015). Institutional and policy factors are important underling drivers of forest loss in developing countries and as such must be addressed to effectively combat deforestation and forest degradation in the long-term and effectively implement REDD+ (Tegegne et al., 2016). It has been argued that forest management is hindered by inappropriate policies (Colchester et al., 2006) and the marginalization of the forest sector, particularly with regard to low financing when compared to other sectors Forest Policy and Economics 69 (2016) 40–44 E-mail address: kanungwe@gmail.com. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2016.04.004 1389-9341/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Forest Policy and Economics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/forpol