Community participation key to sustainable reforestation efforts

Michiru Timber Plantation manager Idah Masonga says there is need to intensify community participation in reforestation drives to sustainably conserve the environment.

She said this on Tuesday at Michiru Mountain in Blantyre during a tree-planting exercise organised by Dzuka Chilomoni Organisation and Beehive Centre for Social Enterprise.

Masonga said:  “People become responsible as they are self-mandated to ensure their planted trees survive and grow.

“This also gives the communities a chance to understand the importance of healthy forests, thereby guarding them to enhance their resilience to climatic shocks.”

Dzuka Chilomoni Organistion executive director Mariko Chikaonda said due to deforestation, there has been raging runoffs in the mountain that has damaged houses.

“We want to stop that by getting people involved in conserving the nature,” he said.

Beehive’s community service manager Limbani Njewa said they are also advocating natural regeneration of trees on the mountain.

Group village head Chilomoni and councillor Phillip Kameta said they will develop forest by-laws to support such initiatives.

Learners and students from Chilomoni Catholic Primary School and Cornerstone Private Secondary School also took part in planting over 2 000 trees.