NGO to restore 100ha degraded landscape
Hope Ministries International has embarked on an initiative to restore 100 hectares (ha) of degraded landscapes in Senior Chief Masumbankhunda in Lilongwe.
Speaking during the launch of the project on Saturday, Hope Ministries project manager Pyk Ng’oma said planting indigenous trees can mitigate the effects of climate change
He said: “We are targeting 100ha this year, but we plan to restore 500ha within the next five years in five flood-prone districts.”
Ng’oma said Lilongwe is prone to floods because it is a plain while Dowa, Zomba, Chitipa and Karonga districts, although hilly, lost their forestry cover and are now vulnerable to floods.
Lilongwe district assistant forestry officer Farayi Kafanikhale commended Hope Ministries for the project.
He said: “We believe with concerted efforts it is possible to restore natural vegetative cover in Lilongwe within five years.
“The district has experienced the worst deforestation as communities use trees for cooking, tobacco farming and other activities to support their daily livelihoods.”
Kafanikhale thanked Senior Chief Masumbankhunda and his subjects for embracing the project.
Group village head Msosolo assured Hope Ministries and government that they will own the village forest.
The project is funded by the US-based Terraformation to the tune of $1000 000
