Malawi Scotland Partnership in reforestation drive
By Llywellenie Mpasa:
The Malawi Scotland Partnership (Masp) has planted over 2,000 tree seedlings at Chawe, the peak of Zomba Mountain.
Masp Board Chairperson Ann Phoya said on Monday, when they planted the trees, that they worked with the Department of Forestry.
“The initiative is one way of helping Malawi mitigate the impact of global warming, which is linked to deforestation and is causing devastating effects such as floods and droughts,
“We, as Masp, are empowering stakeholders, including young people, to take action on climate change. We are doing so by supporting the reforestation process, from planting, taking care of young trees to their growth, thereby helping in efforts aimed at combating global warming,” Phoya said.
Zomba Mountain Plantation Manager Daniel Mbeu commended Masp for planting trees, saying they [trees] would help in tree restoration efforts.
He said about 3,000 out of 5,064 hectares at Zomba Mountain plantation have been exploited to bare levels due to illegal logging (theft) and forest fire.
Mbeu said the government has, through the Department of Forestry, started training forest guards who were trained by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife and African Parks at the Malawi College of Forestry in Dedza.
“Most poachers are dangerous and have access to weapons. In comparison, most forest guards are unarmed. Keeping this in mind, the department has added armed combat training as a valuable component to its anti-poaching training to protect trees in forests,” he said.
