Stella Sofasi

February 23rd to 10th March, 2006, the project team conducted environmental education and awareness campaign in 28 villages of the 42 that border Lake Chilwa and its wetland. This was achieved by organizing several activities like public environmental talks, lecture, drama, traditional songs and dances (See photo). These activities were organized to take environmental messages to the end users. The activities have assisted many people to fully understand the importance of preserving water birds and other natural resources. Further, the activities have also helped them to understand socio-economic problems that arise as a result of over-exploitation of natural resources.

Further, 1,000 leaflets and 350 posters containing environmental messages in both local and official languages (Chichewa and English) were distributed to local communities, school pupils, fishermen, bird and mammal hunters, teachers, forestry staff, farmers, fisheries staff and agricultural aid workers in the project area. The activities have resulted in the increase in the number of people participating in the implementation of the project activities and many people have expressed interest to join the natural resources management committees be formed whose objectives will be to conserve and manage the threatened bird species and restore their degraded habitats.

The project team visited Lake Chilwa wetland area to meet local hunters, local communities and other stakeholders from 19th April to 30th April 2006. The aim of the visit was to meet, coax and mobilize them to form active working groups to combat uncontrollable and widespread bird hunting in the area. During the visit, ten consultative meetings and eighteen consultative workshops were held with traditional leaders, local communities and stakeholders.

At each consultative workshop, the participants were asked to form a wetland management committee whose aim would be to protect the water birds from local hunters, local farmers and local communities but also to rehabilitate degraded areas of the wetland. Then each committee was asked to elect officer bears (chairman and secretary) to ensure the smooth running of the committees. It is pleased to note that twenty-one bird management committees have been established in the area. Many women have joined these committees and nine of them have been elected to a post of either a secretary or chairman. The senior posts that some women are currently holding in these established committees have encouraged many women to join the committees and this is really encouraging.

From 12th to 24th June 2006, the project team visited 42 villages in six Traditional Authorities (T.A) in Lake Chilwa Wetland basin. The purpose of the visit was to sensitize and mobilize local communities, stakeholders and representatives of the beach village community to form natural resources management committees (nrmcs) and wildlife clubs (wcs) whose aim will be to enforce wildlife by-laws, to control illegal killing of water birds and other animals in and around Lake Chilwa Wetland basin and to rehabilitate the degraded areas of the ecosystem.

We are pleased to report that after the successful sensitization meetings we had with local communities, stakeholders and traditional leaders; 31 nrmcs and 24 wcs were established in T.A. Mposa, Mwambo, Kumtumanji, Nazombe, Chikowi and Mkumbira. Each management group formed elected office bearers which comprise a chairman and a secretary. These officers will be responsible for drawing up management and conservation programmes and activities for their groups. It was also pleased to note that each group had a good representation of women. The formation of these wildlife management groups will, therefore, significantly help to conserve and safeguard the threatened biodiversity and the environment in the area.

From 17th to 23rd July 2006, the project team organized and conducted consultative meetings and competitions in 20 villages bordering in Lake Chilwa Wetland basin. The purpose of the meetings and competitions was to lobby and encourage local communities, stakeholders and representatives of the beach village community particularly women and young girls to actively participate in the management and conservation of the wetland ecosystem and biological resources especially the water birds which are under threat in the area.

We are, therefore, pleased to report that more women and girls turned up in good numbers and took part in the competitions. In the process, many women and young girls were able to express their interest to actively take part in the implementation of the project activities.

The organized competitions were marked by three best women who won each an assorted packet of gifts containing 5kgs of tree indigenous trees, 3 packets of sugar, 2 packets of kitchen salt and one book on how can we establish tree nursery at household level. Similarly, three best men also won same gifts and this encouraged many women and young girls to take part in the conservation of the wetland in the area.

I am pleased to report that from 8th to 17th August 2006 and again from 18th to 27th September 2006, the project team comprised of Dr. Stella Sofasi, Mr. Sululu Makina and Mr. Daniel Liwewe conduct five sensitization meetings in 42 villages around Lake Chilwa Wetland. The main objective of the meetings were to mobilize local communities, bird hunters and subsistence farmers to form groups so that they could be trained on viable income generating activities such as bee keeping, guinea fowl rearing but also to train them on management of their enterprises, processing of their agro-produce and marketing skills. In total, 25 groups were formed in the area and 215 (100 women and 115 men) people were trained in bee keeping and guinea fowl rearing. These groups were also trained on how they could construct wooden bee hives and small houses for their guinea fowls.

The groups trained were very much pleased with this project and assured the project team that water bird poaching and destruction of other biological resources will eventually stop because people in the area have been economically empowered as a result of the introduction of these alternative income generating activities.

I am pleased to report that from 10th to 16th January 2007, the project team organized a week training course on sustainable natural resources management. Sixty-three people (63) participated in this course and among those who attended were training leaders and school pupils (Fig. 1). During the course, participants were taught on correct time of tree seed collection, drying, storage, nursery site selection, nursery preparation, seed multiplication, watering techniques, transplanting and reforestation techniques (Figure 2). Further, participants were also taught preparation of degraded site for rehabilitation whereby planting station should be at an interval of 50 -100 m apart.

Further, from 19th to 27th February 2007, ten consultative meetings were conducted in villages surround Lake Chilwa Wetland. The aim was to jointly brainstorm the benefits of gazetting Lake Chilwa Wetland to be a protected site. People attended the meetings agreed that indeed Lake Chilwa Wetland should be gazetted to be a wildlife reserve (Figure 3). Following this, a one day consultative workshop was organized at Hippo View Lodge. The workshop was attended by traditional leaders, government officials, church leaders and teachers (Figure 4). One of the outputs of the workshop was that people agreed that the Department of National Parks and Wildlife should draft a Policy to be forwarded to the parliament for enactment/approval in order to accord Lake Chilwa Wetland a legal status. It was believed by the participants that this would help to effectively protect the water birds which had been unsustainably killed by illegal hunters over the past years.

Read more about the activities undertaken and findings of this project in the final report below.

To read about Stella's latest project http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/projects/stella_sofasi