Stick around as we plan to conduct a survey of forest products, ecosystems services and local-based conservation and tourism initiatives of Zomba mountain forests.

Chikhalidwe eco-centers: Facilitating Tracking, Research and Development of Community-based Conservation Initiatives and eco-Tourism

According to UNEP-WCMC, Malawi ranks 25th on countries with most rich biodiversity by land area. FAO reports indicate that 19% (2.2 million ha) of the country’s 11.8 million hectares territory is forest area while 21% is covered with water of which 90% of this makes the 8th largest fresh water lake in the world. FAO, further reports that 56% of its 9.4ha land mass is cultivable.

However, over-exploitation of forests and wildlife as the growing population tries to survive and cope up with poverty by expanding farming land and cutting trees for charcoal or timber business is resulting to immense deforestation and degradation of biodiversity, water, soils and other natural resources, recycling the poverty. Readily available economic resources and ecosystems services are becoming more scarce. Government efforts to make rural communities [which constitute 80% of the country’s population and depend on natural resources] co-managers of natural resources have been slightly successful, as conservation efforts get more constrained just as rural poverty intensifies – reinforced with climate change.

Even though Malawi’s biodiversity is highly economically valuable, the government policies and initiatives have been challenged to facilitate rural communities’ sustainable utilization, and tapping of the nature’s potential to end poverty, at both household and national levels. This has been resulting to unfruitful and weakened highly potent community-based conservation initiatives that have responded to government’s call. The phenomenon can be attributed to lack of commitment, creativity and accountability among others, within the implementation systems and processes.