Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT) was established in 2008 and has since grown to become a leading conservation NGO in Malawi. Its mission is to protect Malawi’s biodiversity for the benefit of people and wildlife. In this guest blog, Director of Development and Public Affairs Kate Moore explains how LWT is tackling drivers of biodiversity loss in and around the Malawian capital.
Malawi – known as the Warm Heart of Africa for its lush landscapes and friendly, peaceful people – is also one of the poorest countries in the world, with a rapidly increasing population and the highest rate of deforestation in the region.
The capital city, Lilongwe, is expanding rapidly and pressure for land is consequently high. And yet, the 200-ha nature reserve right in the heart of the city remains intact. It is the last example of Acacia combretum forest in the Central Region, with rich biodiversity including species such as crocodile, hyena, and bushpig, and an estimated 200 species of bird.
Currently co-managed by the Department of National Parks & Wildlife, and LWT, it is the site of Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, Malawi’s only wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary and the country’s largest environmental education centre and welcomes over 40,000 visitors a year.
This, however, was not always the case. Back in 2010, plans emerged that would involve expansion into the wilderness area for urban development. LWT reacted by turning the Wildlife Centre into Lilongwe’s top visitor attraction, and heavily publicised the national and international tourism awards that were won as a result.
Over 40,000 visitors are now welcomed through the gates every year. This does not only mean income to support operations, but also the chance to inspire people to care about nature. LWT’s education programmes are designed to appeal to school children as well as adults and families looking for a relaxing day out. Modules are aligned with the national curriculum and cover everything from wildlife welfare through to healthy soil and forests.
Apart from the aesthetic, learning and recreational values, the reserve provides the city with important ecosystem services: cleaner air, better temperature regulation, and protection of the water table.
Kate Moore
Overall, local communities are respectful of the reserve and poaching for wood or wild animals is low. Surveys show that they respect the boundaries and appreciate its benefits.
The Lilongwe river, for example, passes through the reserve and the forest has been credited with helping to reduce flooding in communities further downstream.
Maintaining the reserve itself is a significant task in itself, but now the LWT team are turning their attention to how they can help to protect biodiversity in Lilongwe as a whole. The majority of visitors are urban dwellers, which provides the opportunity to start connecting people with nature in their everyday lives when they leave at the end of their visit.
What’s more, in their next round of campaigns, LWT will be tackling the thorny problem of unsustainable urban consumption of wildlife and forest products. 62% of urban households use charcoal, almost all of which is harvested illegally from reserves, and this despite access to electricity or gas. Nearly 4.6 million more people now use firewood and charcoal than in 2005, and between 2019 and 2025, this demand will exceed sustainable supply.
These considerations are central to the plans for substantial renovations at the Wildlife Centre, slated to start in September 2019, which will include a new education centre. There is currently a $100,000 shortfall in funding but the LWT team are confident that they can raise the funds so that the ‘wild heart of the city’ to fulfil its next calling: to inspire Lilongwe to love nature, and protect it.
About Lilongwe Wildlife Trust
Lilongwe Wildlife Trust was established in 2008, and have since grown to become a leading conservation NGO in Malawi. Our mission is to protect Malawi’s biodiversity for the benefit of its people and wildlife.
Working in collaboration with local and international partners, we respond to urgent conservation challenges as well as drive long-term social and institutional change. Our work spans four broad areas – wildlife rescue and welfare, research, conservation justice, advocacy and education – with a focus on biodiversity, illegal wildlife trade, and unsustainable consumption, plastics and pollution. Our projects run nationwide, with a special focus on rural communities around the protected areas of Nyika, Vwaza, and Kasungu, and also the urban communities within the major cities, where the high demand for natural resources is driving degradation.
LWT has been appointed by the Government of Malawi to administer a number of national wildlife management, justice and advocacy initiatives. LWT is also a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Malawi representative for the Species Survival Network, and the Secretariat for the Malawi Parliamentary Conservation Caucus. Find out more at www.lilongwewildlife.org.