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Background

When a World Bank Wood Energy project in Sadzi Hill ended in 1996, the area experienced significant environmental degradation due to uncontrolled extraction of forest products and encroachment from farming and neighboring settlements. This resulted in soil erosion, more frequent wild fires, flooding, mudflow and rock slides from the hill top, putting homes at the base of the hill at risk. This prompted Sadzi community leaders to rally their neighbours to elect a Sadzi Hill Conservation Committee to manage the hill’s rehabilitation, with efforts beginning in 2014. They developed a management plan for tree planting and natural regeneration to protect the hill and surrounding community.

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Approach

Concerned by the risks posed by the hill’s degradation, Sadzi community leaders joined forces and rallied local people to elect 15 members into the Sadzi Hill Conservation Committee to oversee the rehabilitation and recovery of the hill. With non-financial support such as technical advice from the district forest office and the City of Zomba, tree planting activities were launched in 2014 with initial seedlings donated by Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD), Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM), the city council through Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF III), Christian Aid and the Sadzi Concerned Citizens committee. With the help of crowd funding from local community members, the committee has established a tree nursery and conducts tree planting supported by “Save the Children”. With the help of the Zomba Action Project (ZAP), bee keeping activities have also been introduced. The committee deploys guards to patrol the hill and check for illegal activities, paid for by the monthly donations from the committee and local community members, as well as from the sale of bamboo. The committee and the city council authorities are now working to formalize bylaws for the management of the hill, with plans to make it a recreation and tourism hotspot, and to have the committee sit in the environment committee of the city council.

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Environmental Impact

The reforestation of Sadzi Hill more than doubled vegetation cover between 2013 and 2020, including a number of indigenous trees. This has led to the return of indigenous fauna, including baboons, rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes, pollinators and a variety of birds like guinea fowls and quails. Soil erosion, mudflow and rock fall have been reduced greatly, and further degradation prevented. Other benefits include better local temperatures, better quality of water runoff, carbon sequestration, pollination and maintenance of ecosystem diversity.

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Success Factors

The commitment, sense of ownership and unity of local community members have contributed to the success of Sadzi Hill’s reforestation, coupled with the election of a community management committee.

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