Project Eases Human-Wildlife Conflicts Around Malawi's Protected Areas
Fredrick Chauka Msiska, patron of the Jalawe irrigation scheme, hailed the project, saying people have stopped relying on illegally obtained resources from the parks.
RUMPHI, Malawi- A community livelihoods support project implemented in areas surrounding Nyika and Vwaza protected areas has helped reduce human-wildlife conflicts by promoting sustainable agriculture practices, according to Total Land Care (TLC), the implementing organization, writes James Nyirenda.
During a meeting on Friday in Rumphi to reflect on the successes of the two-and-a-half-year project, TLC Managing Director Zwide Jere said the core objective was to support communities living outside the parks to improve their livelihoods and lessen pressure on the protected areas.
"These people depend on resources within the parks for their livelihoods. They illegally harvest these resources, destroying the ecosystem in the process," Jere said.
"The idea was to provide alternatives so communities can farm and generate income, reducing pressure on the ecosystem."
Initiatives under the project included providing groundnut seeds, goats, chickens through pass-on programs, promoting irrigation farming, and supporting natural resource management to conserve community forests.
Brighton Kumchedwa, Director of National Parks and Wildlife, said the project has been crucial in reducing poaching and deforestation inside the protected areas due to collaboration efforts with communities.
"Communities are now willing to participate in conserving the protected areas, and we have good cooperation unlike in the past," Kumchedwa stated.
Fredrick Chauka Msiska, patron of the Jalawe irrigation scheme, hailed the project, saying people have stopped relying on illegally obtained resources from the parks and are now practicing sustainable agriculture.
The €600,000 phase 2 project, funded by the EU and KfW, built on the first phase implemented from 2018 to 2021 with €950,000 in funding, targeting 10,000 households living around Nyika and Vwaza.