Deforestation and Malawi's Floods

As Malawi continues to recover from the recent flooding many Malawians have begun asking why this year’s floods caused so much devastation. It is true that there was an unusually high amount of rainfall this rainy season due to weather patterns, but that is not the only factor. Deforestation played a major role in making this year’s flooding so widespread and devastating.
Trees help mitigate heavy rainfall by helping to disperse heavy rainfall in a number of ways. Trees hold more water than many other forms of vegetation, like grasses or crops, acting as a sponge to soak up much of the rainfall. In addition, tree roots loosen the soil, creating space that can be filled with excess water, preventing run off. Lastly, trees slow the route rainwater to streams, allowing the streams more time to expand as needed to transfer rainwater to ponds and lakes. A lack of trees compacts the soil, leaving it less able to properly absorb rainfall, as well as allowing the soil to be eroded into rivers and lakes. Soil erosion is currently causing large-scale issues in Lake Malawi, polluting the water and harming the fish population, which is a large part of the Malawian diet. (Nyasa Times)
Malawi used to be a heavily forested country, with its sub-tropical climate, plenty of rainfall, and lots of open landscapes to support forests. Currently, Malawi has only 27.2% forest cover, meaning almost ¾ of the land in Malawi is lacking trees. (Ripple Africa) Malawi has the world’s fifth highest rate of deforestation, a pattern which has occurred primarily over the past 30 years. Deforestation in Malawi is largely due to the nature of slash and burn farming practices. Farmers will cut down all the trees in an area and burn them where they fall to create space for agriculture. When the population of Malawi was small, the environment was able to recover from such practice, but with the population doubling every 25 years and 80% of the people working in agriculture, trees hardly stand a chance.
  The Malawian government has attempted to slow the deforestation rate in Malawi with   little success. Bans on the cutting of certain trees and the promoting of better farming   practices, such as crop rotation to help keep the soil rich (as opposed to the use of   chemical fertilizers), have had little success. People did not seem to have a good   understanding of the dangers of burning trees and eroding the soil, they simply used the   soil until it was depleted and moved onto the next plot, as they have grown up doing.   However with the increasing lack of available farmland and the severity if recent flooding,   Malawians are growing more concerned for their home.
  An uptick in concern for the environment is underway in Malawi. TNM, a mobile service provider, has recently planted 36,000 tree seedlings at schools around Malawi. (Maravi Post) Many schools have contacted various organizations, such as the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust asking for assistance with planting trees around schools that were damaged in flooding.  It is unfortunate that such a disaster had to happen to draw attention to the importance of reforestation but, the inspiration to preserve is has caused is invaluable. The future of Malawi is a little brighter with the hope that the people will strive to reforest Malawi.

This blog post was written by Zoey Ponder