Stakeholders Meet to Address Challenges Facing Lake Malawi National Park
The event underscored the importance of proactive engagement and collective action in safeguarding UNESCO World Heritage sites like Lake Malawi National Park.
MANGOCHI, Malawi-Lake Malawi National Park organized a pivotal meeting Thursday engaging law enforcement figures newly-assigned to the area in hopes of boosting conservation efforts at the UNESCO World Heritage site, writes Maureen Kawerama.
The Cape Maclear event, backed by the African World Heritage Fund, aimed to equip police officers and a magistrate on intricacies of protecting one of the continent’s most biodiverse freshwater ecosystems.
“Having new officers, we thought it wise to orient them so they are better positioned to address issues,” said McPhillip Mwithokona, manager for Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
The training session focused particularly on prosecuting illegal fishing and resolving land disputes within park boundaries.
“This meeting exemplifies our commitment to fostering synergy among all stakeholders,” Mwithokona said.
“By working together, we can effectively address the challenges facing Lake Malawi National Park.”
Attendees then discussed challenges in safeguarding Lake Malawi amid climate pressures in collaborative talks.
"As courts we will make sure that we impose sentences that are punitive or deterrent to people committing national parks and wildlife offenses so that they should stop doing the malpractice," said First Grade Magistrate Lawrence L.G Mangani of Monkey-bay Magistrate Court.
The event underscored the importance of proactive engagement and collective action in safeguarding UNESCO World Heritage sites like Lake Malawi National Park.
That's the way to go as conservation of our beautiful Natural Resources demand collective effort !!!