Project Update: August 2009

The project team is pleased to report that 5 short training courses and 5 sensitization meetings on the impact of bush fires and how to contain it were conducted with 387 villagers (65% men and 35% women) who live around Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve from June-July 2009.

Amongst other things, participants were trained on how they could effectively contain bush fires through construction of fire breaks, removing dead wood from the forest and setting up a toll-free mobile phone whereby communities can directly phone the Forestry & Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust staff and the police to report any incidences of bush fires that may occur in the forest reserve, including reporting the culprits to the police station for prosecution.