Part of each trip goes towards combating deforestation and creating sustainable community projects between the surrounding communities and natural habitats that you will cycle through. Each tour helps conservation efforts of endangered habitats in Malawi. Riders can enjoy each cycling tour knowing each trip will be making a valuable contribution in saving the environment.
Help re-plant Zomba Forest Plateau. Deforestation has dramatically increased in the past year, due to forest fires, population growth, land encroachment & unlicensed chopping of trees for charcoal, firewood & climate change.
This project is is run by Zomba Forest Lodge (www.zombaforestlodge.com) and concentrates on protecting and creating a natural ecosystem that will be beneficial to both to the local communities and the fauna and flora of Zomba Plateau, the Forest Reserve, and the surrounding area
OVERVIEW
This project concentrates on protecting and creating a natural ecosystem that will be beneficial to both the local communities and the fauna and flora of the Zomba Plateau, the Forest Reserve, and the surrounding area.
They understand that the Forestry Department regulations do not allow the harvesting of timber within 50m either side of a stream; unfortunately, in practice this has not always been the case. TREEZ therefore would like to assist the Forestry Department in protecting these areas, and in doing so, creating Water Catchment Conservation Corridors (WCCCs)
A well-managed and maintained commercial forestry plantation is a vital natural economic resource for a growing economy like Malawi’s and we do not want to infringe its’ viability. Rather, the intentions behind the founding of TREEZ are to work hand in hand with the Forestry Department in protecting and conserving the integrity of the Forest Reserve whilst helping to provide water, food, wood and potentially income to the local communities.
The Plantation Manager for Zomba and the local councillor (who used to work for the Forestry Department) helped them identify 40 hectares of land along several watercourses that will initially be allocated to this project.
OUR GOALS:
HOW THE PROJECT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED:
HOW WILL IT BENEFIT THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Through active participation of the local communities we hope to engender a sense of empowerment and pride in the protection and maintenance of the environment and its ecosystem. TREEZ aims to develop an attitude of “enlightened self-interest” amongst the local communities around the Forest Reserve; whereby the communities see, understand, and realise both the direct and long-term benefits from helping to conserve the eco-system and environment of Zomba Plateau.
CURRENT STATUS
So far, they have completed the re-planting of two areas of WCCCs one 4 hectare site, and one 10.5 hectare site, a total of 17,980 trees; Zomba Forest Lodge financed this, together with donations we have received from guests, and we hope to raise the funds to complete the 40 hectares in this area over the course of the subsequent planting seasons.
Finally, they hope that the conservation areas, and TREEZ as a whole, could be considered pilot schemes and working models that can be potentially rolled out to the whole of the Zomba Forest Reserve and perhaps to other national Forest Reserves as well.