By Richard Kagunda

Kasungu, September 4, Mana: Kasungu Wildlife Conservation for Community Development Association on Tuesday launched a pilot phase of Forest Natural Regeneration and Agroforestry project in the area of Sub Traditional Authority Chisinga in the district.

The association's Board Chairperson Malidadi Langa said the livelihood-centered project is focusing on integration of agroforestry as well as village forest management.

Langa said the project aims to ensure that people have their forest resources in their communities thereby increasing agriculture productivity from the existing farm plots while addressing food insecurity challenges.

It is hoped that when people are economically empowered and are food secure, they will stop depending on the nearby Kasungu National Park as a source of livelihood.

"Conservation of Kasungu National Park is in two components which are wildlife on one hand and livelihood on the other.

"In this project, we have embarked on livelihood component as we want to empower communities economically by giving them alternative sources of income whilst conserving our national park," he said.

While commending the association for the project, the district's Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Evelyn Chima bemoaned the increased rate of environmental degradation in the district allegedly perpetrated by tobacco farming as well as the opening of new land for farming.

Chima called for concerted efforts among stakeholders in environmental conservation and landscape restoration arguing government alone cannot manage.

"We have seen that this organization is doing a commendable job in conserving the environment and landscape restoration.

"As a council, we have observed that tobacco farming and opening of new farms are some of the serious challenges haunting landscape restoration in our district hence the need for concerted effort to achieve this.

"This is why we commend the association for coming up with this project which will not only help in landscape restoration but also conserve wildlife in the park," Chima said.

In her remarks, Assistant Director for Environmental Education and Extension Services at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, Catherine Chunga stressed the significance of conserving national parks saying they boost ecotourism, leading to economic benefits for local communities.

"Apart from agriculture, the project will also help to empower communities economically through beekeeping hence the need for commitment among community members," she said.

At least 350,000 people live near Kasungu National Park boundaries and some of them depend on the park products as a source of livelihood.

About 20 000 households are expected to benefit from the pilot phase of the project which is being funded by Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Program (BIOPAMA) under International Union for Conservation of Nature.