From bare to cover: Kasale Community roll up sleeves to dress up the deforested Mvai Forest Reserve
Full Solution
Kasale community members and Ntcheu District Council members inspecting the regenerated Mvai Reserve
Hannah Weggerle, GIZ
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.
Last update: 27 Mar 2025
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Context
Challenges addressed
The communities harvested all the trees from Mvai Forest Reserve for poles, charcoal and firewood. There was encroachment by opening crop farms in the reserve leading to vast degradation of the reserve and biodiversity. The block committees were formed in 2006 and had their management plan expired and the general care for the reserve went down. Frequent bush fires used to be the mainstay in reserve. The access for malpractice was free for all. These forms of deforestation led to bare reserve.
Location
East and South Africa
Process
Summary of the process
The initial revamping of the committees and general sensitisation creates a new wave of energy between the groups. This enables a common understanding. The training of the committees adds a layer of new knowledge, especially for the new members. This builds confidence. Allowing communities to add their indigenous knowledge fosters ownership of the approaches to be used. It allows flexibility in carrying out tasks as they are more familiar with what they already know. The introduction of livelihood assessments acts as a catalyst for the work. Communities do not want to lose their time when they get involved in restoration. Time and energy are rewarded. This is an automatic booster and is good for both the individuals and the environment. Monitoring ensures that planned activities and processes are carried out according to plan. It also helps to measure and resolve bottlenecks encountered along the implementation continuum.
Building Blocks
Revamping forestry block committees and communities surrounding the reserve
The first step is to convene all the forest block committees, local leaders and rural communities in general. These meetings focus on addressing issues that have negatively affected the communities as a result of the deforested reserve. This is followed by the establishment of new committees to oversee the new management plans.
Enabling factors
Although not selected in committees, local leaders are vested with the role of patron for any community committee. The leaders therefore own the initiative and become key in achieving the results. Conflicts end at them.
Lesson learned
Proper selection of committees and engagement of local leaders provide conducive environments for all the communities to own and participate in the activities.
Training of committees
The committees are trained on general management of the reserve. Some topics include facilitation of natural regeneration, simple silvicultural operations, firebreak maintenance. Apart from these technical topics, group dynamics and conflict management are also taught. These topics help to ensure all the committee members, and the general communities work towards achieving one agenda despite diversities in opinions.
Enabling factors
Key staff from government departments at the District Council had an agreement with FAO on implementation of activities. The staff are well trained and experienced.
Lesson learned
Providing resources to professional staff as working partners makes implementation of activities easy.
Allowing communities to factor in their indigenous techniques.
In order to achieve sustainability, the communities were allowed to factor in their traditional knowledge and skills on how to concretize the new working modalities. The communities added another set of working groups from various villages. The working groups were shared a portion of the reserve to manage. This made the work of the overall committee easy as it turned into a monitoring committee. The groups make their own plans (work plans) for various activities such as patrolling, making of firebreaks etc.
Enabling factors
The achievement of building block 3 was largely due to the willingness of the involved communities to execute various roles assigned to and chosen by them.
Lesson learned
When communities are given the opportunities to weigh in their knowledge and skills, the success can be guaranteed. Professional knowledge should be blended with indigenous knowledge to attain maximum benefits.
Supporting the communities with livelihood options to enable them to meet their day to day needs
This building block aims at sustaining communities with day-to-day survival options. As communities engage in restoration work, they need to engage in compensatory and beneficial economic activities as individuals or groups. The communities identified livelihoods of their choice. In this project, the communities chose goat and chicken rearing, mushroom growing and bee-keeping. So far, the project has supported them with chicken and goat rearing and bee-keeping. The benefits from these livelihoods are used to meet household needs such as agricultural inputs, clothing and school fees for children.
Enabling factors
Proper community assessment of livelihood options and the availability of funding from the project enabled the provision of livelihood options and the ability to train communities in the production of different options.
Lesson learned
Incorporating economic activities into FLR interventions has increased the enthusiasm of communities to engage in restoration work. Initially, some members dropped out of the groups to meet their daily needs through the destructive means when they felt the project would not directly benefit them. After the introduction of the livelihood opportunities, more members rejoined the groups.
Continuous monitoring arrangements
A robust monitoring mechanism of the process needs to be put in place. Technical staff need to ensure that they engage with communities to explore whether there are challenges and how they can address them. During these monitoring events, communities also share their experiences.
This is part of the continuous learning cycle to improve where necessary. New techniques are also shared during these monitoring events.
Enabling factors
The monitoring team consists of various experts (forestry, agriculture, community development, fisheries, water development, M&E), FAO, IUCN. The core team is from the government, as they have permanent representation in the district. This ensures sustainability of knowledge and resilience of systems in the area. It is important to support communities with simple work plans.
Lesson learned
There is a need for resilient communities that can withstand the challenges of recovery. However, if their capacities are strengthened, they will be able to monitor their own activities.
Impacts
The mobilization of communities around Mvai Forest Reserve (MFR) led to renewed organization. Communities in Kasale Block developed a strategy to restore tree cover. In total, 120 community members (63% women) are actively managing and conserving the block.
Improved land management: Since 2021, the once-bare block has regained tree cover through natural regeneration on 1,400 ha. Soil erosion has been controlled, and vetiver was planted to reclaim gullies.
Nature conservation: The block now hosts diverse tree species that had vanished. Uapaca kirkiana, highly sensitive to fire and once nearly extinct, is now thriving. Fire events have stopped, allowing more natural species to regenerate, attracting birds and fauna like hares, mice, and snakes. Natural fruits have also returned.
Socio-economic benefits: Wild fruits—including Flacourtia, Azanza garkiana, Annona senegalensis, and Uapaca kirkiana—are now available again. The community also collects mushrooms for food and income that have returned through the restoration efforts. The place has become admirable and, in some cases, acts as field laboratory for Chikuse Primary School pupils as they learn some relevant environmental related topics. Recently, the Kasale community received 40 beehives, now colonizing. Honey production is expected to boost income.
Beneficiaries: Kasale community consists of 600 households, with about 1,500 people (46% male, 54% female).
Beneficiaries
- The primary beneficiaries are communities surrounding Mvai Forest Reserve
- People of Southern Malawi through reduced water problems from Mpira Dam
- Environment through additional sequestration capacity
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 1 – No poverty
SDG 2 – Zero hunger
SDG 3 – Good health and well-being
SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and production
SDG 13 – Climate action
SDG 15 – Life on land
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals
Story
The dressed Mvai Forest Reserve after decisive efforts from local leadership
Fao
Never give up: The tough journey Kasale Community took to restore the Mvai forest reserve.
When the management plan for management of Mvai Forest Reserves expired soon after the end of the EU funded Improved Forest Management for Sustainable Livelihood Project (IFMSLP, Kasale Block, which is part of Mvai Forest Reserve that was completely deforested, the reserve was dominated by grass, a transformation from a thick forest.
Every morning and afternoon hours were awash with throngs of people to and from the forest with charcoal, and hoes. Crop fields had been opened in the protected reserve. As is said that every cloud has a silver lining, The dawn of a forest and landscape restoration project supported by FAO funded by BMUV, the community organized itself after sensitization from the extension workers.
Unique to this community is that it suggested that the whole community should get involved by forming small subgroups to manage small portions of the reserve. Each subgroup has a subcommittee which reports to the main committee and the local leaders. This was in 2022. At this time, the area was bare. The community was trained in regeneration management and group dynamics.
From 2022 to 2025, the group has been working to regenerate this portion of the reserve on 1,400 ha. It is on course as the area is now in tree cover. Encroachment through farming significantly reduced. Some wild animals (hare, birds, bat, snakes,) which disappeared are back.
The community is proud to have achieved this. The restoration work is supported by livelihood interventions. About 60% of the community members benefitted from goats and chickens on pass-on arrangement so that the entire community members should own livestock continuously. To prevent challenges brough by livestock especially browsing by goats, members were trained on fodder bank establishment. These fodder banks, will also act as restoration interventions.
Sustainability mechanism: The regained tree cover and entire approach is sustainable as is driven by the local structures. The project team only provides technical support.
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Other contributors
Harrington Nyirenda
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Priscah Munthali
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
