Zambezi River Basin

© SARDC

There is a big demand for firewood in Malawi.

Reverse biodiversity loss by 2010 The extent of protected land area in Malawi has remained at 10 585 sq kmsince 1990, amounting to nine per cent of the total surface area in a densely populated country, as shown in Figure 4.18.

Zimbabwe (FAO 2005). Harvesting wood to fuel the tobacco-curing process accounts for roughly one-quarter of household wood consumption. Overall, it is estimated that demand for wood exceeds supply by 30 per cent (UNEP 2008). The rising price of alternative energy sources, such as oil, has increased reliance on fuelwood in recent years to over 90 per cent of energy use (FAO 2005).

Protected areas share of total land area in Malawi

0

9%

Change in proportion of land area covered by forests in Malawi

Percentage

35

30

25

20

Source: SADC and SARDC 2008

15

Figure 4.18

10

Figure 4.19 shows the ratio of area protected to maintain biological diversity.

5

0

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

Area protected to maintain biodiversity in Malawi

Source: Government of Malawi 2009, FAO 2010

Figure 4.17

Ratio of total land area

Malawi is a water-stressed nation since only 1 374 cu m of water is available per person annually even though annual internal surface water production in 2007 was 16.14 cu km (FAOSTAT 2007). Three-quarters of Malawi’s rivers are significantly polluted by human waste while soil erosion and pollution from agriculture pose a significant threat to freshwater resources (UNEP 2008). The extent of carbon emissions is not well documented in Malawi and is not considered a significant factor in environmental sustainability.

0.185

0.180

0.175

0.170

0.165

0.160

0.155

0.150

1995 2000

2010 2010 2015 Linearly Projected Value

2005

1990

Source: Government of Malawi 2009 MDG Target

Current Path

Figure 4.19

89