DEFORESTATION
IN MALAWI, AFRICA |
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Deforestation
in Malawi, Africa, is a major problem, and 30% of the forests have
disappeared in the last 10 years. RIPPLE Africa is helping communities
to plant trees and, at the same time, is trying to make them aware
of the value of protecting the few forests that remain.
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| Deforestation
in Malawi, Africa: One farmer cut down and burnt all of these
trees in just three months |
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Deforestation
is happening very quickly on a frightening scale, and there is tremendous
pressure on the natural resources because of the burgeoning population.
Dreadful scenes of deforestation can be seen in the forested hills of
Nkhata Bay District in the Northern Region of Malawi. These are some
of the only forests left in Malawi, and farmers are indiscriminately
cutting down trees and setting fire to them where they fall. In one
area, a farmer had cleared an area of virgin forest of between five
and 10 acres singlehandedly and had set fire to everything. He had achieved
this feat in just three months. When asked why he had caused this extensive
deforestation, the farmer explained that he had a family of 11 children
and his existing crops were failing because the soil was exhausted.
He went on to say that he had more forest left and planned to cut this
down in the future.
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In
1994, authority for much of rural Malawi was decentralised by the government
and devolved to the local chiefs with the result that the farmers are
able to do what they like. The beautiful forests of Nkhata Bay District
are being deforested at an alarming rate, and farmers will struggle
to grow their crops once the top soil has washed away from the steep
slopes. This will inevitably happen very rapidly once deforestation
has taken place and the land cleared.
It
is one thing to grow new trees, but we are really keen to work with
the communities to try to save the existing ones and to slow down the
rate of deforestation in the area. To this end, we assembled a group
of chiefs, Forestry Department staff and other interested parties, and
we took them to see the extensive deforestation for themselves. They
were horrified and realise that something has got to be done. We are
currently working on a simple set of bylaws for all chiefs to use in
Nkhata Bay District to slow down the rate of deforestation. These bylaws
will control which trees can be cut down and which areas need to be
preserved. It will be a huge task but one worth pursuing if the trees
of Nkhata Bay are to remain for future generations. |
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Deforestation
just starting —- next year there will be far fewer trees |
A fact-finding
meeting with local chiefs, Forestry Department staff and other
interested parties to find a solution to this problem which is
devastating their environment |
Bush fires
burn fruit trees, destroying the fruit |
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In conjunction
with the bylaws, we are also offering advice on improved agriculture.
However, as we’ve already experienced with previous agricultural
projects, there are always many obstacles — whether it’s
too much or not enough rain, or pests and insects destroying crops
— but it is essential that solutions are found so that communities
can grow crops on the same land rather than continually expanding
into the forests and causing even more deforestation.
The Malawian communities
in our area grow only cassava all year round and some maize during
the rainy season, and they quickly exhaust the soil. We are encouraging
farmers to make compost rather than burning and to intercrop with
potential cash crops like groundnuts and beans which will not only
produce additional income but will put nitrogen back into the soil.
We are very keen to develop this area of activity over the next few
years and, with the help of David Newman, an experienced horticulturist
from the UK, Fumbani, our agriculture expert, and Ruben, who is in
charge of local vegetable projects, work is already starting in this
area.
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Deforestation
in the Southern Region of Malawi, Africa
Deforestation is a major problem throughout Malawi but, fortunately,
Nkhata Bay District still has lots of forest areas. In the Southern
and Central Regions of the country, however, nearly all areas have been
deforested, and in most places there are no large trees as far as the
eye can see. In an area called Chikwawa, which suffers from particularly
bad deforestation, there is devastating soil erosion, and it was suggested
that a trip should be organised to take all of the Senior Chiefs in
Nkhata Bay District to visit Chikwawa. In 2007, a trip was organised
by Force, our Environmental Projects Manager, and the Chiefs were horrified
to see the extent of the deforestation which is happening in their own
country. This trip made a lasting impression on the Chiefs, and they
are keen to prevent the same thing happening in their area. RIPPLE Africa
has funded meetings with the Senior Chiefs and some of their 400 village
headmen to promote our environmental awareness programme. |
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The Senior
Chiefs learning about deforestation and how it is affecting the
communities at Chikwawa |
One of the
heavily deforested and eroded hills at Chikwawa |
If individuals
do not grow their own trees, they will have no wood in the future
for cooking, etc. |
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Company
Registration No. 04823686 •
UK Registered Charity No. 1103256 |
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