LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-About 60 million trees in three years are expected to be planted across Malawi in a bid to restore vegetation while addressing effects of climate change.

Dubbed as Tree Cover Malawi project (TCM), the initiative runs from September 2016 to December 2019 with expectation that 20 million trees will be planted annually in three years of the exercise.

Act Alliance, a grouping of church organizations in the country with leadership support from Christian Aid, is championing the initiative with expectation of 80 percent survival rate.

Speaking in an inclusive interview with The Maravi Post in the capital Lilongwe Sophie Makoloma, TCM’s Manager said the exercise aimed at conserving, protecting and restoration of creation and saving the country’s environment.

Act Alliance was briefing environmental youth’s groups drawn across the nation for the project sensitization, following its launch on Wednesday at Traditional Authority (T.A) Maliri in the rural Lilongwe. 

Makoloma challenged youth on taking part in the initiative by exhausting their energies with increased forest cover through replanting and natural regeneration to offset effects of climate.

She therefore assured the youth group of the initiative’s support technically in mobilizing resources; tree seedlings, trainings toward the three years of implementation.

“We are targeting 60,000,000 trees by the end of the three year project from September 2016 to December 2019 across Malawi with robust and close monitoring to ensure survival rate is 80%. At least 20,000,000 trees each year using seedlings during rainy season and using truncheons off rainy season will be planted.

“Act Alliance will be mobilising funds to achieve this objective and believes that the plan will be fulfilled, for we can do all things through Christ who Strengthens us Philippians 4:13. We will be rehabilitating river banks and other fragile areas through planting of bamboos.

“As young people constitutes largely for the country’s population, they have also a bigger role to play in restoration of forests through targeted natural forest regeneration. We want young people to invest their energies in the exercise than spending their time in unruly behaviours”, said Makoloma.

On his part, Dominic Nyasulu, National Youth Network on Climate Change (NYNCC)’s Programs Manager called for radical advocacy approach amongst youths in the implementation of the projects.

Nyasulu assured the proprietors of the initiative with full support from environmental youth groups across the country in sustainable implementation of the project.
 
NYNCC’s Programs Manager encourages young people in taking part on the tree exercise saying effects of climate has not spared them hence the need to embrace the initiative.

Malawi has now national climate change policy couple with biodiversity strategy and action plan to offset resilience towards effects of climate change.

The policy is expected to create an enabling legal frame work and documents for a pragmatic, coordinated and harmonized approach to climate change management.

The document affirms government’s commitment to fully addressing of climate change issues in order to reduce the people’s vulnerability, ecosystems and socio-economic development to the effects of climate change through adaptation and mitigation, technology transfer and capacity building.

The policy also complements the country’s commitment to 1992’ United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which obligates Malawi to take various actions to address climate challenges.