Biological importance of Dzalanyama Forest Reserve

Dzalanyama Forest Reserve has an extremely wide representation of plant and animal species and ecosystems. The biodiversity in this ecosystem represents three categories as follows; Genetic diversity which is the variation of genes within species covering distinct population of the same species or genetic variation within a population,Species diversity which is the variety of living organisms on Earth and Ecosystem diversity which is the variability of habitats and biotic communities.
Tne biodiversity conservation has not only preserved national plants and animals of heritage but also created wealth among the surrounding communities through Forest Based Enterprises. Dzalanyama Forest Reserve is contributing generously to the food supply to both rural and urban areas of Dedza, Lilongwe and Mchinji districts that share the Reserve.
Being a miombo woodland Dzalanyama Forest Reserve serves as a food reservoir of edible fungi (mushrooms), fruits(Uapaca kirkiana- masuku), roots(Habenaria walleri- chikande), honey and insects. These types of foods are quickly available and they require little effort to harvest or prepare them for use. They are direct products of the forest less subject to failure than domestic crops and for that reason they frequently stand between life and starvation especially to the surrounding communities when domestic crops are scarce.

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Welcome to Dzalanyama Forest Reserve

Hello, my name is Daniel Tomlin Kabichi and I am the Assistant Plantation Manager residing in Dzalanyama Forest Reserve. On this blog I will show all the treasures hidden inside the forest. I will take you on regular walks through the reserve and together we will not only learn more about the plants growing here, but you will also meet some of the amazing animals living inside the forest. I hope that by showing you all these creatures we all better understand why it is so important to continue to protect Dzalanyama Forest as good as we can. Scadoxus multiflorus

Current status of Dzalanyama Forest Reserve

Major obstacles to tree survival in Malawi include indiscriminate forest resource extraction which is largely attributed to heavy woodfuel utilisation for firewood and charcoal production, timber requirement, agricultural industry, infrastructure development and uncontrolled bush fires. Wood and charcoal are the most preferred cooking and heating fuels in Malawi even in the poorer parts of the cities and the demand is huge. It is estimated that charcoal consumption is twice what the nation's woodland can sustain without further deforestation. Indeed loggers illegally clear 250,000 ha of forest each year to meet the demand for charcoal and firewood, a deforestation rate of 2.8%(Forest policy 2016) resulting in further reduction of forest per capita which is already below desired minimum. However expected increase in population and residential construction indicates that wood market may continue to grow. Most of the hills have been shaved of their leafy canopies of trees, leaving

Deployment of the Malawi Defence Force soldiers into Dzalanyama

The Government of Malawi introduced Malawi Defence Force intervention programme to deal with illegal logging for charcoal and firewood in Dzalanyama Forest Reserve. The objectives of the joint operations with the Department of Forestry include the following:- To conduct patrols in the forest reserve particularly the most affected areas To confiscate all the illegal forest products obtained without permit. To impound vehicles, oxcarts, and bicycles used in trafficking illegal forest produce. To confiscate all equipment and tools used in tree felling To destroy by burning all charcoal kilns and erected structures in the reserve. To mount ad hoc spot checks and road blocks in some routes leading to the reserve. To apprehend and hand over to police all suspected offenders for prosecution. The operations have been conducted 24/7 both inside and outside of the reserve(Central Forestry Zone Office Outlook Report 2015). And since the Malawi Defence Force deployment on 7th February

The Dzalanyama Forest Reserve

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