By Moses Michael-Phiri
BLANTYRE, Malawi
Malawi plans to plant 15 million trees – one tree for every Malawian – in a five-month forestry campaign as part of efforts aimed at raising public awareness about the importance of managing the nation's forests.
"I want every person in the country to actively participate by planting a minimum of one tree each," Atupele Muluzi, minister of natural resources, energy and mines, told The Anadolu Agency.
He said that, so far, 6.4 million tree seedlings had been collected and over 5,000 hectares of land prepared for planting.
The five-month campaign is being carried out under the banner: "Plant one tree per person per year."
The population of Malawi currently stands at 15 million, according to the country's national statistics agency.
The planned national forestry campaign is aimed at sensitizing the public regarding the importance of managing the country's forests, which represent one of Malawi's chief natural resources.
"We want to plant more trees in order to reduce the effects of climate change that the country is facing," Muluzi told AA.
Malawi's forests have been destroyed mainly by charcoal production and the collection of firewood, both of which serve as main sources of energy as 90 percent of the population has no access to electricity.
"The destruction of forests should not be tolerated," insisted the minister, adding that deforestation and the loss of tree cover were both significantly affecting the national economy.
Muluzi went on to note that the government planned to distribute cooking stoves – which can reduce the use of firewood by some 40 percent – to some two million Malawians.
"We have already distributed 400,000 cooking stoves to rural communities," Muluzi told AA.
He also warned that increased water runoff was affecting water quantity and quality, disrupting the government's ability to supply urban centers with water.
"The country has been experiencing a water crisis in major cities as a result of poor management of our water catchment areas," he said.
The minister went on to lament that the siltation of Malawi's rivers and lakes had led to reduced fish production and increased fish mortality over the years due to the destruction of fish breeding grounds.
