By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, November 11, Mana: Malawi’s Wildlife Conservation Policy places responsibility on communities to get involved in the conservation of wildlife, especially those closer to their villages.

In Kasungu, some people around the National Park had led an onslaught on the country’s second largest protected area poaching animals for both meat and ivory, felling trees for charcoal production and clearing the buffer zone for settlements and crop cultivation.

These activities led to the reduction of the animal population in the park, with elephants, for example, reducing from over 2 000 to around 200 individuals, rendering the park unattractive to tourists.

“This is the period poaching was at its peak owing to lapses in security largely due to lack of funding.

“Again this is the time the buffer zone which averaged 2.1 kilometres in thickness was invaded and cleared for charcoal, settlements and farming,” says Ndawona Kumanga, Park Manager.

In 2016, the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) partnered with International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw), a marriage that saw the latter pumping in resources to support efforts to protect the park from further destruction.

“This is why in 2022, Ifaw supported us to translocate at least 694 animal species including 263 elephants from Liwonde to Kasungu in a restocking programme to boost the numbers of the key wildlife species,” Kumanga says.

Park authorities say high poverty levels amongst some communities surrounding the park is still posing a threat to conservation efforts and the future of the protected area as people turn to the park resources for their livelihood.

The park which harbours the largest Miombo woodland in the country, is surrounded by nine traditional authorities namely Lukwa, Kaphaizi, Mwase, Nthunduwala, Mawawa, Chulu, Chisinga, Mangwazu and Kawamba with a population of at least 350,000.

With support from Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Programme (BIOPAMA), Kasungu Wildlife Conservation for Community Development Association (Kawiccoda) is leading efforts to build resilience amongst the communities surrounding the park in a bid to create alternative sources of livelihood.

The BIOPAMA programme assists countries in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific to address their priorities for improved management and governance of biodiversity and natural resources by providing a variety of tools, services and funding to conservation actors.

Board Chairperson for Kawiccoda, Malidadi Langa, says the conservation of Kasungu National Park is in two components which are wildlife on one hand and livelihood on the other.

“Kawiccoda is an offshoot of the Wildlife Policy which prescribes that populations living within natural resources such as national parks must participate in the conservation of those resources.

“So we are a vehicle for enabling this community participation in conservation of parks whereby we mobilise communities to take part in managing forests, promoting natural regeneration of trees, agroforestry and climate smart agriculture,” Langa says.

Through its Forest Natural Regeneration and Agroforestry project in the area of Traditional Authority Chisinga in the district, Kawiccoda is integrating land restoration, forest governance, agroforestry and climate smart agriculture, teaching communities about modern farming approaches including promotion of forest regeneration.

“Our people should be able to integrate crop farming and forestry, regenerate and re-green landscapes. We have handed over tools such as hoes, slashers and wheelbarrows to help them carry this work.

“On the livelihood component, we support them with soybean seeds where each household gets 40 kilogrammes. We hope that when they cultivate soybean, they can raise a lot of money to support their families and stop invading the park,” Langa says.

The association is also giving out goats on a pass-on arrangement targeting the population along the park.  

“The park has suffered a lot of encroachment, poaching and charcoal production with the primary driver being poverty and livelihood pressures.

“If we provide our communities with alternative livelihoods, pressure will reduce. So as Kawiccoda, we have embarked on this livelihood component, supporting communities with farm inputs and by doing so, we are contributing towards efforts to save Kasungu National Park,” Langa says.

Group Village Head Kanyakatika of T/A Chisinga says as communities, they have realised the importance of conserving biodiversity such that they voluntarily participate in the activities.

“We have even enacted by-laws to the effect that when one is found destroying forests, he or she will be fined K100 000 or a goat.

“We understand the impact on climate change and the importance of having forests. The beehives and implements we have received are a huge motivation that we should do more,” Kanyakatika says.

Field Operations Manager for Ifaw, Gervas Thamala, notes there have been a lot of threats to Kasungu National.

“We must work together ensuring that the park should not be burden to people and that people should not be a burden to animals,” Thamala says.

To further promote conservation efforts, the DNPW has handed over at least 67 bicycles to lead farmers to help in promoting climate smart agriculture. The bicycles which Ifaw sourced from World Bicycle Relief are to reduce mobility challenges for lead farmers as they go round communities training farmers on climate smart agriculture.

The K25.8 million bicycles are also expected to boost patrols along the newly erected solar-powered perimeter fence which has been constructed to prevent animals from leaving the park to invade people’s homes and gardens.

At least 100 kilometres of the eastern park boundary has been covered with the perimeter fence while the remaining 30 kilometre stretch is expected to be completed by December this year.

Director of Parks and Wildlife Bright Kumchedwa says the handing over of bicycles signifies a cordial working relationship that is there between government and the communities in safeguarding wildlife.

“Communities must take part in conservation, and these bicycles are a huge motivation to them and that they should do their work effectively,” says Kumchedwa, also stressing the need for communities to have alternative livelihood so that they don’t invade the park.

He says the fence is a critical instrument to guard against animals straying out of the protected area to destroy homes and crops.

“All the outstanding issues that were regarding the construction of the fence have been sorted out and construction is in progress. We are hopeful that we will cover the entire 130 kilometre stretch by the end of this year.

“As government, we are very serious about tourism because of its potential to contribute towards economic growth. Wildlife is the backbone of tourism, that is why we increased the numbers of animals in Kasungu National Park to attract more tourists and generate forex,” Kumchedwa says.

On his part, Senior Chief Lukwa who chairs the Chiefs Council on wildlife conservation in Africa asks the recipients to use the bicycles and the implements for their intended purposes.

Kasungu National Park has a huge ecological relevance in that it is the catchment for Dwangwa River that flows east to Lake Malawi through the densely populated Kasungu District, sustaining settlements and agriculture and contributing to the maintenance of viable fish stocks for the lake.

Economically, the park is home to hundreds of elephants which are the largest tourist attraction in Kasungu National Park, promoting tourism, one of government priority areas.

The tourism sector contributes 7.7 percent towards the Gross Domestic Product, of which 2.7 percent is from the wildlife sector.