Restoration approaches:

• Assisted Natural Regeneration
• Enrichment Planting

Goals:

• Restore 2 types of forests: the Afromontane forest with the endemic Mulanje cedar, and the surrounding miombo woodland with large diversity of species.
• Create employment and develop alternative sources of income to lessen pressure on the forest.
• Conserve the forest and its biodiversity.The area is home to a diverse set of endemic flora and fauna such as Mulanje Cedar trees and the threatened Mulanje chameleon.
• Support law enforcement activities ​to stop deforestation.

Discover more on WeForest’s website

Why is intervention needed?

3.4 million hectares or a third of Malawi used to be covered with forests. Today, 65% of that has already been cleared, a tenth of which in the last 10 years alone. This trend is likely to continue due to a rapid population increase: Malawi has quadrupled its population in the past 40 years.

Severe deforestation and degradation have taken place in the Mount Mulanje Forest Reserve due to a lack of investment, and because neighbouring communities have used it for construction wood, firewood and charcoal. As well as being home to the Mulanje Cedar and the Mulanje chameleon, a healthy forest is essential for the water supply of the surrounding villages, local agriculture (tea and macadamia plantations) as well as for Blantyre, the economic capital of Malawi in the South.

To reverse this trend, the reserve will be restored with 2 types of forests (montane forests and Miombo), and alternative job opportunities, like employment in the tree nurseries or honey sector, will be created. This will be combined with sustainable livelihood schemes for the thousands of families living around the reserve, so that the forest can be called a proper ‘reserve’ again.

Ecological restoration

As there are two types of vegetation, assisted natural generation (ANR) and enrichment planting will be adapted to each type. In the montane forests, our team will plant the endemic Mulanje Cedar, a species that is sensitive to disturbance and not able to generate quickly by itself. Active planting is therefore necessary, and the seedlings are carefully grown in local community nurseries. The miombo woodlands, on the other hand, are restored with up to 70 tree species typical of the vegetation type, such as the Uapaca and the Brachystegia trees. This dominant forest type is able to quickly regenerate from root or seed stock.

Agroforestry will be developed here as well. Local communities will be trained in this approach to build a whole new generation of agroforesters who, with their income coming from fruit and or timber trees, will be more resilient to climate change.

While the above methods help to restore the reserve, it does not yet address the root cause: this forest was cleared for agriculture, illegal timber and charcoal. To properly protect the forest, alternative sources of income are needed. Trees that allow the harvesting of fruit, mushrooms or honey are being actively planted in the area.