The Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy Mining together with different stakeholders including Malawi Defence Force and development partners on Saturday planted trees at Dzalanyama Forest.
The tree planting exercise at Dzalanyama Forest took place under the theme of “Increase forest in Dzalanyama for transformed landscapes and improves livelihood”.
Speaking with reporters, Chief Secretary to the Government Lloyd Muhara, said the exercise was important since trees helps climate change adaptation.
Muhara added that they chose Dzalanyama because it is the source of many rivers such as Lilongwe River which accommodates a high population of Lilongwe, the country’s capital and biggest city in terms of population.
“We are planning to plant 48,0000 trees of different species. There are aspects of making sure that the trees planted are surviving and there is also the issue of security to ensure that forests are highly protected like here at Dzalanyama the forest is in hands of Malawi Defence Force (MDF), engaging with the surrounding communities,” he explained.
Muhara, however, expressed concern over the death of one of the community leaders identified as Wisdom Samuel who was brutally murdered on July, 2019 by people who wanted to steal trees in the forest.
In his remarks, Japanese Ambassador to Malawi Satoshi Iwakiri commended the country for the continued efforts in protecting environment through tree planting exercise.
Different organisations such as Lilongwe Water Board, JICA, Association of Environmental Journalists (AEJ) and Malawi Defence Force (MDF) took part in the tree planting exercise.
