Chief Ngabu calls for more action to preserve forests

Senior Chief Ngabu of Chikwawa District has called for more action to preserve forests to restore  vegitative cover in the district.

He said this on Tuesday in Chikwawa during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by Chikwawa District Forestry Office in partnership with Governance for Solutions, a non-government organisation, to orient the stakeholders on laws and regulations against illegal charcoal production.

Ngabu urged policy implementers to take the new laws on charcoal production to the communities to achieve tangible results.

He said: “We both know the charcoal producers cannot afford the K5 million fine for the crime committed and they will be imprisoned, but we need to provide alternative solutions for those who depend on this illegal business to fund their children’s education and feed their families.”

Traditional Authority Mlilima said sometimes there are contradictions in the legal framework on forestry.

“We know charcoal production is illegal, but the provision to issue out licences for other players to produce charcoal is a challenge in the fight to curb charcoal production,” he said.

But Chikwawa district forestry officer Hector Nkawihe said a licence is only issued to those with a clear management plan.

“We also have people who are cutting down trees and producing charcoal illegally and when they are caught, they say they are cutting down their own trees, but we need to understand that the consequences of destroying the environment will affect all of us,” he said.

Nkawihe said under the new Forestry Act, government now has the authority to issue stronger penalties, fines and jail sentences.