Michiru mountain community scouts has joined forces with police and game rangers to fight illegal logging and endangered forest. The group of 320 volunteers helped the forest protectors arrest 45 poachers in the first three weeks of their joint operations.
Their leader Maliko Chikaonga attributed the success to the patrols and surprised swoops on people found doing various illegal activities.
He said:” The encroachers returned to the mountain once the noticed that soldiers had completed their operations.
“Now, we the communities around Michiru mountain have joined forces with the police and rangers to ensure sustained surveillance on the mountain.”
The inroads by Chikaonga’s team have not been without challenges.
They take on hostile timber and charcoal makers without boots, torches and food supplies.
The scouts’ involvement has reinvigorated the fightback by police officers, the department of National Parks and Wildlife, the Centre of Environmental Policy and Advocacy, forest guards and Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi.
“This has seen a reduction in the number of encroachers operating on the mountain,” said Chikaonga.
Environmentalists estimate that over 400 encroachers raided the mountain forest for firewood, charcoal and timber.
Others were logging to fire bricks.
Cepa institutional adviser Andre Perez says it is pleasing that the scouts are producing the desired results three weeks after being trained in law enforcement.
However, she is concerned about lenient court sentences that hardly deter would-be offenders.
“We have learnt that one of the poachers that we arrested got a penalty of K10 000 or K20 000. We are asking the Judiciary to understand that the work and passion of the community scouts is going to be in vain if the penalties are not properly managed,” says Perez.
She said there is a need to crack down on the cartel and industry behind the forest plunder.
Perez stated: “This initiative is everyone’s responsibility. We need the private sector to provide resources for the operations and the academia to come up with alternatives to the red brick.
“We have to change our mindset and invest in alternatives. We have bamboo for example as a great alternative.”
National Parks and Wildlife director Brighton Kumchedwa says it is an indication that “the communities are the first line of defence” in environmental protection.
“We are on a learning curve and drawing lessons wherever possible,” he said.
Kumchedwa promised that the department’s rangers, once outnumbered by the poachers, will intensify patrols in the park once sanity is restored.
Source: The Nation- Andrew Mtupanyama- Staff Writer- 1 August 2024