By Grace Makawa:
The photographs are familiar. Executives in gumboots holding seedlings, schoolchildren digging holes and government officials promising a greener Malawi.
But once the speeches end and the cameras leave, a bigger question remains. What happens after the last seedling is planted?
For years, tree planting has been one of the most visible symbols of environmental commitment in Malawi. During the National Forestry Season, corporate entities and other organisations compete to demonstrate their green credentials by planting thousands, sometimes millions, of trees.
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The campaigns have helped raise awareness about environmental conservation and strengthened partnerships between government, the private sector and communities.
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However, environmental experts say the success of such initiatives should not be judged by the number of seedlings planted during colourful ceremonies, but by how many survive.
Environmentalist Mathews Malata says tree planting alone cannot solve climate change.
“Companies should invest in other interventions, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting climate-smart agriculture, supporting drought-tolerant crops and expanding renewable energy such as solar power,” he says.
Malawi continues to lose large areas of indigenous forests due to charcoal production, agricultural expansion, illegal logging, unsustainable firewood harvesting and population growth.
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The consequences are becoming increasingly visible. Communities that depend on forests for water are experiencing shrinking rivers and degraded catchments, while soil erosion is reducing agricultural productivity.
Malata says trees remain important because they act as carbon sinks that absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. However, he says climate action requires more than an annual planting exercise.
“Climate action requires much more than planting trees during one season every year,” he says.
The growing concern among environmental experts is that many organisations focus on the number of trees planted while providing limited information about what happens afterwards.
During the rainy season, images of executives planting seedlings often dominate media coverage, but few organisations publish survival rates or provide updates on how many trees remain alive months or years later.
The Department of Forestry says Malawi is shifting its focus from planting numbers to survival rates.
Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson Tikondane Vega says monitoring continues beyond the National Forestry Season.
“District Forestry Offices submit end-of-season reports showing the number of trees planted by district, institution and planting site. The information is then consolidated at national level,” Vega says.
The department is also developing a digital database to record planting locations using GPS coordinates to improve monitoring.
Vega says organisations participating in tree-planting activities are expected to submit survival reports three, six and 12 months after planting.
“That is a strict requirement,” he says.
However, he acknowledges that compliance has not always been consistent.
“Some organisations provide seedlings but do not participate in post-tree-planting activities. Planting is only the beginning.
“Going forward, we intend to strengthen accountability by linking future participation and recognition to verified survival data,” he says.
According to Vega, prolonged dry spells, uncontrolled fires, livestock damage and poor maintenance remain major threats to tree survival.
“The tree-planting season is effective because it raises awareness, mobilises communities and establishes woodlots and institutional forests.
“But effectiveness improves when we invest in species-site matching, proper pit preparation, aftercare and survival audits, not simply planting large numbers of trees,” he says.
The Environment Management Act provides a framework for environmental responsibility, requiring individuals and institutions to protect natural resources, restore degraded ecosystems and promote sustainable environmental management.
For companies investing millions of kwachas in tree-planting programmes, responsibility should therefore extend beyond planting events. It should include maintaining trees, monitoring progress and reporting results.
The Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (Mepa) says restoration efforts require collaboration among stakeholders.
Environmental Information and Education Manager Aubren Chirwa says Mepa works with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation on environmental management initiatives.
He says the carbon levy has become an important source of funding for reforestation programmes implemented through local councils.
However, Malata insists that funding alone will not guarantee success.
“Corporate programmes are making a contribution, but the impact has not been properly analysed. Without consistent monitoring, it becomes difficult to measure outcomes or determine whether restoration objectives have been achieved,” he says.
Malata believes companies should build long-term partnerships with communities responsible for protecting restored forests.
He further says restoration programmes should also balance indigenous species with fruit trees and commercially valuable varieties where appropriate.
“When communities benefit economically, they become active custodians of forests,” he says.
