Malawi-Zambia

Change activity: Reduction of Wildfires Incidences contributing to greenhouse gas

emissions and community conservation farming in Malawi-Zambia TFCA
Progress:
The Malawi-Zambia TFCA was represented in the trainings by Mr Paston Simkoko
from Malawi and Mr Joseph Bwalya and Mr Dominic Kapokola (Process Moderator)
from Zambia. They have been well-supported by their National TFCA Coordination
Units (Mr Peter Wadi, Malawi and Mr Lackson Mwenya, Zambia)
Trans-boundary Collaboration in the TFCA has been quite good. Community
engagement to negotiate the change project has been done and some community
education actions have started. Staff at district level have partnered with sister
departments such as Forestry and Agriculture to sensitize and educate the
communities on the importance and benefits of conservation farming and fire
management. All these activities are aimed at reducing environmental degradation
while trying to meet social-economic needs and in the long run contribute to climate
change adaptation and mitigation. There has been more communication with the
SADC REEP mentors in the CCA network from the Malawian side compared to the
Zambian side.
On the Zambian side sensitization meetings have been held more especially at
district level and communities within the district to discuss the causes, effects and
mitigation measures to climate change. The notable change is the appreciation by
the communities of the effects of climate change especially in terms of erratic, late
rains, flash floods and droughts as products of climate change. It is said that who
feels it knows it right if people are able to appreciate the effects and causes of
climate change then they will be part of the solution.
Communities have also been encouraged and supported to establish community
conservation areas to protect wildlife and the environment in areas that still remain
undisturbed. The purpose was to help the communities in coming up with revenue
generating activities that are climate-friendly and eventually contribute to climate
change mitigation in the long term. Deforestation is a major source of worry with
regard to climate change and it is envisaged that the creation of community
conservation areas will contribute significantly to the preservation of the remaining
forest stands as it is well known that forests act as carbon sinks. One community
conservation area has been created in Musalangu Game Management Area in
Zambia and many more are planned for in other chiefdoms. There are also two
proposals that have been done on Water provision and Bee-keeping as adaptation
measures but none has been approved yet. Currently there are ongoing discussions
on now the change project will be monitored in an integrated manner in the TFCA. It
is planned that conservation farming pilot projects will begin in both Malawi and
Zambia this coming farming season.