Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority (Magla) has challenged children to take an active role in environmental conservation, emphasizing its importance for their future well-being and the country’s tourism sector.
Magla spokesperson Nancy Malata said this during a tree-planting exercise at Mkondezi Model Primary School in Nkhata Bay recently.
The initiative, aimed at instilling a culture of environmental stewardship among young learners, saw the authority donate 26 000 tree seedlings to 26 schools in the district.
Malata stressed that deforestation poses a serious threat to communities, particularly to children who will bear the consequences of climate change, such as floods and droughts.
She said: “Nature is what mostly beautifies a country. If you look at Nkhata Bay, it is one of the districts that are beautiful because of the environment that is here.
“This means we can attract more tourists here and, as such, we need to maintain the outlook by continuing to plant more trees.”
Malata further emphasised that tree planting should go beyond just planting seedlings, urging children to take ownership and care of the trees to ensure they survive and grow.
Nkhata Bay Environmental Trust programmes coordinator Jessie Kamanga expressed concern about the high rate of deforestation and environmental degradation in the district.
“Our focus is mostly on schools because we want children to learn the importance of protecting trees.
“Environmental degradation cases are very high in this area; there are a lot of gullies, and the issue of charcoal production also needs to be addressed,” she said.
In his remarks, Senior Chief Mkumbira said local authorities have introduced by-laws to support natural resource management and curb illegal tree-cutting activities.
Data shows that NkhataBay loses about 3.4
