Zambezi River Basin

Malawi

Chitipa

Karonga

TANZANIA

Mzuzu Nkhata Bay

Mzimba

Z AM B E Z I R I V E R B A S I N LI M I T

ZAMBIA

Lake Malawi

Nkhotakota

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUE

Mchinji

Salima LILONGWE

Dedza

Mangochi Ntcheu

Zomba Machinga

MOZAMBIQUE

Blantyre

Mulanje

Chiromo

Nsanje

ZIMBABWE

Total Area of Country Portion of Country within Zambezi Basin National Population in 2010 Portion of National Populationwithin Zambezi Basin

118 484 sq km 110 700 (93.4%) 13.9 million 13 050 000 (96.67%)

Important Environmental Issues

• Land scarcity and soil erosion • Deforestation for fuelwood • Water pollution • Aquatic biodiversity

Malawi is the most densely populated country in the Zambezi Basin. Its diverse physical features support a variety of flora and fauna. Lake Malawi extends over almost two-thirds of the eastern border area and with other water bodies covers one-fifth of the country’s total area. This extensive water body has a strong influence on the climate which varies from semi-arid to humid (SARDC/Chenje 2000). Progress towards environmental sustainability Reverse the loss of environmental resources Arable land is Malawi`s most valuable natural resource as agriculture is essential to local livelihoods and the national economy. The cultivated area has more than doubled since 1961 to accommodate a rapid growth in population, resulting in a growing land shortage (FAO 2007). In 2002, an estimated 16 per cent of cultivation was taking place on marginal or unsuitable land (UNEP 2008). This caused soil erosion, sapping soil fertility and causing

siltation of lakes and rivers, including the Shire River, which is the major outlet of Lake Malawi.

Malawi is on track towards attaining half of the environmental sustainability indicators, although the land area covered by forest has declined from 32.9 percent in 1990 to 27.3 percent in 2010 (Figure 4.17). This decline can be attributed to fuelwood collection, subsistence and commercial agriculture (UNEP 2008). Tobacco farming, which accounts for almost 80 percent of export earnings, is one of the major causes of deforestation. Government is committed to reverse this trend by intensifying reforestation, afforestation, promotion of natural regeneration, and forest protection and management programmes. Deforestation, driven significantly by fuelwood harvesting and curing of tobacco, is also contributing to the rapid degradation of Malawi’s intensively used lands. Malawi is the second largest tobacco producer in Africa after

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