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  • From bare to cover: Kasale Community roll up sleeves to dress up the deforested Mvai Forest Reserve
From bare to cover: Kasale Community roll up sleeves to dress up the deforested Mvai Forest Reserve

From bare to cover: Kasale Community roll up sleeves to dress up the deforested Mvai Forest Reserve

In Ntcheu District, Malawi, a Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) project, supported by FAO, IUCN, WRI, GIZ and funded by BMUV, empowers local communities to conserve Mpira Dam Catchment. The catchment is essential for the ‘life ‘of Mpira Dam which is source of drinking water for Ntcheu as well as surrounding Districts. The catchment is source of rivers that feed into Mpira Dam.  Mpira Catchment also harbors the famous Mvai Forest Reserve. The reserve is 5600 ha. The reserve is divided into five blocks for ease of management. However, the blocks got deforested through unsustainable practices such as charcoal making and farming. Through the Forest Landscape Restoration under the Alliance for the Restoration of Ecosystems and Landscapes in Africa AREECA, the blocks committees and surrounding communities were strengthened to manage the reserve at block level through natural regeneration. One such block is the Kasale community  who embarked on a journey to conserve the Kasale Block of 1400 ha. 

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