By Patience Longwe & Lesnat Kenan

Lilongwe, March 28, Mana: Member of Parliament (MP) for Kasungu North, Mike Bango, has called upon government to collaborate with the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) to protect the country's forest from destruction.

Speaking when he asked a supplementary question to Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change in Parliament on Friday, Bango emphasized the need for urgent action to safeguard forests like Chimaliro, which is under threat from charcoal production.

"Chimaliro Forest, a vital ecosystem, is facing degradation due to the increasing demand for charcoal. The situation has raised concerns about the long term consequences of deforestation, including loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and climate change,” he said.

Bango proposed that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change should work with MDF to establish a permanent presence in Chimaliro Forest and other vulnerable areas.

Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, Owen Chomanika, said government is taking bold steps to protect the country's forest reserves, which have been under siege from deforestation and other environment threats.

"As a ministry we have plans to engage MDF in forest protection efforts,” he said.

He expressed concern over high cost of deploying MDF personnel to forest reserves, which has been in place since 2007.

"The current Memorandum of Understanding between government and MDF is being reviewed to explore more sustainable options,” he said.

He, therefore, said government is recruiting 1,500 new forest guards who will be armed and trained to effectively protect forests.

Chomanika emphasizing on the need for a more robust approach, citing loss of lives and injuries among forest guards who are currently ill-equipped to deal with the scale of the problem.

"The new recruits will undergo training to meet the revised framework which is currently being developed.

“Government aims to complete the recruitment process soon with the ultimate goal of ensuring long term sustainability of Malawi's forest reserves,” Chomanika said.