Forest Reserve 27 was formerly degazetted  without attendant Environmental impact Assessment which has major implications for groundwater recharge in and around Lusaka.  In addition Forest Reserve No. 70 has been fenced off illegally.  This likely to result in development without prior Environmental and Social impacts assessments.  The decisions to develop these forests or any other protected resources should be a matter for national debate before such actions are undertaken because they ultimately affect all of us. We would like the Government to engage with the people and professionals involved to determine whether these decisions are of such national significance and that they cannot be undertaken elsewhere away  from such critical resources.