As part of its environmental conservation efforts, YONECO, with support from FAO, has been conducting a series of community film screenings followed by dialogue sessions in Traditional Authority (TA) Mpando and TA Kwataine to promote afforestation and the use of energy-efficient cooking stoves.
The initiative is aimed at restoring the degraded landscape surrounding Mpira Dam, which supplies piped water to residents of Ntcheu and Balaka. In recent years, the dam’s efficiency has been severely affected due to rampant deforestation in the catchment area.
On Thursday evening, YONECO communications team held a community screening and discussion session in Kasale Village, TA Kwataine. The discussions focused on the importance of protecting existing trees and embracing more sustainable practices of reducing environmental degradation.
“Deforestation has reached alarming levels here. We can no longer ignore the signs. Our streams are drying up, and the dam is not functioning as it used to,” explained Village Head Kasale who attended the screening.
During the post-screening discussions, young people expressed concern over the lack of alternative livelihoods, which they said pushes many into the charcoal trade which is a major driver of deforestation in the area.
“We want to protect our environment, but we also need to survive. If we had better opportunities, we wouldn’t be cutting trees for charcoal,” explain Weston Njazi, one of the young people who were in attendance.
Community members also highlighted that the growing demand for burnt bricks, which are being supplied for infrastructure development in Ntcheu town is another contributing factor to deforestation in the area.
Despite the challenges, community members agreed to take collective action to restore forest cover in the area. With guidance from the traditional and community leaders who were present, community members agreed to establish communal woodlots and enforce new by-laws to protect their forests and promote tree planting.
“We have to take this seriously,” said Village Headman Kasale. “We are the ones feeling the consequences, and we must be the ones to act.”
This week, YONECO has engaged 10 villages with its awareness campaigns through the film screenings and more community screenings have been scheduled for the weekend.
The film screenings are among the activities which YONECO is implementing under the Promotion of Forest Land Restoration Interventions in Schools and Communities around Mpira Dam
