By Caroline Nyalugwe – Malawi News Agency
Thyolo Thava constituency Parliamentarian, Mary Navitcha has today launched 2021-2022 tree planting season in Thyolo District.
The event which took place at Mtambanyama primary school in the area of senior chief Khwethemule in the district was supported by Self Help Africa, Satemwa, Eastern Produce (Malawi) Limited and Lujeri tea estates.
In her speech, Navitcha who was also the guest of honor at the event said that communities must take a responsibility in planting and taking care of trees as one way of improving the district’s forest cover in as far as environmental conservation is concerned.
“We have been having tree planting sessions every year but taking care of those trees has been a great challenge to the people of Thyolo district. 
“It’s high time chiefs and different community leaders take a leading role in making sure that everyone takes care of the trees they have in their surroundings.
“All of us must take a leading part in conserving the environment by planting more trees, avoid bush fires, careless cutting down of trees, charcoal burning among other harmful activities that may destroy forest cover,” she said.
She continued to say that parents should also train their children to plant trees while they are still young so that the future generation must not be ignorant about tree planting.
On his part, Mchima ward councilor Hudson Ovilla, who represented the council chairperson at the event, said that Thyolo has been one of the districts which has been renowned with good weather in the previous years all because it had full forest cover but now people are putting more pressure to the companies and the land because trees have been cut.
“Communities and other stakeholders must patronize in tree planting to ensure total participation of people in the district and to impart the spirit of ownership so that trees should not be cut carelessly.
“More trees must be planted in river banks and in their dwelling places so as to protect their buildings from the strong wind that is now giving us tough times,” said Ovilla.
He added that people from the district must also see the need to plant trees that help restore soil fertility in order to increase their crop yield and alleviate poverty.
Speaking at the event, Thyolo District Self Help Africa Project Manager, Lasnet Nathan, said non-governmental organizations and estates need to give the communities a helping hand in making sure that trees that have been lost to charcoal burning and careless cutting are restored through providing tree seedlings.
He added that Self Help Africa and tea estates will continue to provide tree seedlings and other necessities as one way of giving back to the community which has also been of much help to their organization.
Currently, Thyolo district has 15,000 hectares of forest cover and in the previous tree planting season the district achieved 56 percent tree surviving rate. The success is attributed to the constituency tree planting program.
2021-2022 tree planting season was launched on 12 January 2022 in Dowa district under the theme “Healthy trees, forests, economy and people.
