Confiscating charcoal to save forests

Zomba district forestry officials and the police recently confiscated over 200 bags of charcoal and timber during a law enforcement exercise which was held on Sunday night.

Other forest products, such as door and window frames, were also confiscated from Songani and Malosa. They were believed to have been illegally obtained from the Zomba-Malosa Forest Reserves.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, Zomba district forestry officer Eric Zangazanga said the exercise was aimed at saving the remaining natural resources in the forest reserves.

“We have a big challenge because the charcoal and timber business involves local people whom we fail to hand-over to police due to our department’s understaffing and underfunding. However, most users remain those people who stay in urban areas.

“Trees have been depleted in Zomba Mountain which will, in the near future, result in everybody, including the government, paying the cost of mismanagement which has also significantly contributed to climate change,” said Zangazanga.

He added that if the trend continues, there will be a lot of soil erosion, reduction of water levels and siltation in rivers resulting in low inflow into Lake Chilwa.

“This will affect government plans of introducing irrigation farming to the communities,” said the forestry officer.

According to Zangazanga, his office is set to enforce measures of conserving forests and trees by involving community leaders in order to reduce effects of climate change.