Malawi to plant 60 million trees during 2020/21 National Forestry Season
Government has pledged to plant 60 million seedlings during the 2020/21 National Forestry Season.
The exercise will be achieved through each constituency, villages and household, according to the Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources, Nancy Tembo.
Tembo has since asked Malawians to actively participate in this year’s reforestation drive by planting more and take care of the trees they have planted now and before in order to ensure high rates of tree survival beyond the season.
The minister made the remarks in Liongwe on Monday afternoon when she updated the journalists on the preparations for the national launch of the 2020/21 National Forestry Season.
President Lazarus Chakwera is scheduled to officially launch the 2020-21 National Forestry Season on December 16, 2020, at a function to be held at Tukombo Full Primary School in Nkhata Bay.
“We are imploring all districts, villages, communities, institutions, every school, faith based institutions and household to plant more and more trees even beyond the tree planting season.
“Any occasion or event must be an opportunity for planting trees for the next generation to be assured of water, fish and biodiversity,” appealed Tembo.
The minister emphasized that the global village is in a crisis because of the degradation of landscapes through wanton cutting down of trees and over exploitation of land due to overpopulation.
She also observed that Malawi has become densely populated thereby causing damage and deforestation leading to forest catchment degradation.
“This is resulting into the drying of rivers, loss of forestry cover, climate change, loss of biodiversity including dwindling fish population. Trees and forests support the livelihoods of the vast majority of our people through the provision of timber and poles for construction, medicines, herbs, wild fruits and other products for nourishment,” she emphasized.
The National Forestry Season is a period set aside by Government, to build a responsible citizenry that cares for trees and forests for the sustenance of present and future generations.
Malawi is reportedly losing forest cover at an alarming rate of about 32,000 hectares (about one percent) every year.
According to recent reports, the major driver of this loss is tree cutting for charcoal and firewood, fuels which more than 90 percent of Malawian households use for domestic cooking and heating.
Other causes of forest degradation are agricultural expansion, human settlement and wild fires.
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Plant in your head or in the soil? These two are different!!
.hhhhhhhh koma anthu Obama inu !!! 60million kutiko? Ma million onse mwakhala mukunamiza anthu mmbuyo muja kuti tikutengeseni mutilozere komwe kuli mitengo yonseyo? Ntchito yanu ndikuononga osati kubwezeretsa chilengedwe. Useless DFOs, akanakhala ozindikira Nancy Tembo uyo akanafunsa maganizo kwa anthu ena (Private organisations)
What happened to the trees which VP witnessed. Did anyone take the responsibility.
We have been planting trees from time in memorial but where are those trees. MCP ggovt should come up with a different approach to this forestry issue by emphasising on carering for the stumps in mountains and hills and what used to be forests, eg Dzalanyama, Dedza Mt. Zomba, Kaning’ina forest etc. and
mukunena zoona
You must stop deforestation that is taking place in the north forest reserves. People have moved from the South to the north. They are found in Luwawa forest reserves and the Highlands between Mzuzu and Chiweta. You must stop fires in Chikangawa.
Who will be auditing and verifying that 60 million have been planted?let’s say if one tree is for one kwacha for arguments sake (which is not) that is 60 million kwacha and alot of money.
The cheapest tree seedling you can get is mk50. You multiply by 60,000,000 you get 3 billion. We had a similar project last season under DPP. It was a mess. You can point the surviving seedlings. They need to outsource this program and let some individuals manage the trees until they have survived. Give them say 3 year contract to look after the ochards. Otherwise, zithera mmatumba mwa a ndale ndalamazo
It costs (us) K200 to plant a tree (seedlings + labour for first season). So the govt effort is no less than K12 billion. But I note there is no mention in the article who is paying and there was close to nothing in the last budget. Let’s be practical.