3.1. STATUS OF FOREST RESOURCES
3.2. LAND TENURE, FOREST POLICY AND LEGISLATION, PARTICIPATORY FORESTRY
The following broad categories of indigenous forests (natural woodlands) occur in Malawi:
- open or closed woodland with predominance of Brachystegia species;Forests play an important role in the economy of Malawi. It is estimated that 90 percent of household and industrial energy requirements are met from forests (Chipompha et al., 1993). Other major uses of forest produce include timber and poles for construction purposes as well as food and pastures.- closed evergreen montane forest
- stream-bank forest;
- montane grassland and semi-evergreen forest. These generally occupy limited areas but montane grassland forests cover extensive areas in the northern region (e.g. the Viphya and the Nyika plateaus).
About 38 percent of the total land area of Malawi that contain most of the forest cover are National Parks and Forest Reserves. There are about 11.6 percent of forests in the national parks and 10.0 percent of forests are forest reserves and protected hill slopes. The remaining 17 percent are natural woodlands on customary land (Ministry of Natural Resources, 1996).
Malawi is currently experiencing an increasing supply-demand gap in forest produce, especially fuelwood, mainly due to imbalances in the local distribution of the resources. In the Northern Region, where only 10 percent of the human population lives there is 45 percent of the forest cover. On the other hand, in the Southern Region, where 50 percent of the population lives, there is only 20 percent of the forest cover. The Central Region accounts for 35 percent of forest and has 40 percent of the population. This uneven distribution is causing severe localized pressure in some areas resulting in heavy deforestation (Chipompha et al., 1993). The extent of deforestation is continually increasing with agricultural expansion, overgrazing, fuelwood gathering, commercial logging and large scale industrial fuelwood use for tobacco curing, lime burning, brick making, etc. The total forest cover is estimated to be declining at 1.0-2.8 percent per year with high deforestation rates in certain areas (Ministry of Natural Resources, 1996).
The land tenure system in Malawi further compounds the problem of deforestation since three quarters of indigenous forest (70 percent of the forests) are found on customary land. This land, which is under the control of the traditional leaders and agricultural expansion, is prevalent due to population pressure. The old Forest Act that was enacted during colonial days and revised during independence was not effective on Customary Land where traditional leaders hold title for the land. This meant that trees could be cleared carelessly without consultation with the Forestry Department. Realizing the rate of deforestation taking place in most areas of the country, the Government of Malawi adopted a new policy in 1996 that takes into account human development and environmental protection. Most countries have adopted this policy after realizing that many protected areas support large populations of residents who have been excluded for a long time from effective participation in the decision making process regarding the management of such areas (FAO, 1996).
The current Forest Act was amended in 1997 from one which dates back to 1964 and contains broad basic principles for the management of the forest resources. The forest Act provides for the establishment of the forest reserves, use and control of cutting, removal and trading of forest produce, both from public and customary land. The Forest Act has also given way for participatory forestry. The local people participate in management of forest resources by forming Village Natural Resource Management Committees that look after the village forest areas on customary land or demarcated blocks in forest reserves. These committees get technical advice from the Forestry Department on how to protect, control and manage their forest resources. This Act was adopted in order to allow people living on customary land to develop a sense of ownership so that they could manage their own forest resources sustainably and hence, curb deforestation.
However, knowing that the level of effective participation open to communities in designated areas in decision making and other planning functions is widely being questioned (FAO, 1996), Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM) initiated a study on co-management. This study was conducted in Chimaliro Forest Reserve (Kasungu District), Liwonde Forest Reserve (Machinga District) and Mangweru Village Forest Area (Blantyre District). The objective of the study was to identify characteristics that control supply and demand dynamics of smallholders’ woodland and tree use. The results from this study were aimed at paving the way for forestry interventions that can more positively influence the way that communities manage their forest resources. These studies were to address the role of miombo woodland as a contributor of forest products and services to rural communities as well as determine the useful marginal values and potential for varying management to generate different products and services (Ngulube, 1999). The project goal was to enhance sustainable utilization and conservation of natural woodlands and its specific objectives were:
- to develop silvicultural and forest management prescriptions for miombo woodland in Malawi, especially those suitable for use by local communities with minimum supervision;The project achieved its first objective of developing silvicultural and forest management prescriptions for miombo that allow utilization and regeneration. Preliminary guidelines for management of the three miombo types (low altitude dry miombo, montane hill miombo and wet plateau miombo) developed are now being used by Forestry Department and local communities in Chimaliro and Machinga. Objective two was partially achieved as work concentrated on harvesting and marketing of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as rope, fruit, bamboo and mushrooms. Lesser achievements were recorded on valuation and cultural factors determining miombo product use and management. Objective three was achieved by developing planning guidelines that have been adopted by the Forestry Department for implementation of the World Bank funded co-management of forestry resources in Malawi (Ngulube, 1999).- to develop appropriate methodology, increase knowledge of product demand and greater understanding of the factors determining the villagers’ capacity to manage indigenous woodlands;
- to prepare guidelines for forest management plans for village forest areas, community managed sections of forest reserves, areas of miombo woodland within the forest reserves under Forestry Department management and natural woodland areas on estate land;
- to prepare model plans for two pilot areas representing different ecological and socio-economic conditions based on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), stakeholder analysis, village workshops and meetings;
- to raise awareness within targeted communities and widespread dissemination of research findings both within the community and regionally.
FRIM will put immediate priority on monitoring the impact of harvesting (both wood and NTFPs) on the ecology and population dynamics of miombo woodlands where co-management is taking place, i.e. Chimaliro and Liwonde Forest Reserves. Assessment of permanent growth plots and silvicultural systems trials will continue for a further 3 to 5 year period that will be necessary to facilitate refinement of the guidelines. A clear understanding of the reproductive efficiency of miombo species and how any burning regimes influence this is also an immediate priority (Ngulube, 1999).
This study has concluded that there is the need for communities to accrue adequate economic and timely benefits from woodlands for co-management to be successful. The lack of knowledge on the productive potential, processing and marketing of important NTFPs will need to be addressed.
