Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, through its Environmental Affairs Department, has urged the public to actively protect and conserve the country’s biodiversity.
The call comes as Malawi on Wednesday joined the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for Biological Diversity, which falls annually on May 22.
Tawonga Mbale-Luka, Director of Environmental Affairs, highlighted the alarming rate of forest cover loss, with Malawi losing approximately 32,000 hectares of forest annually.
He added that about nine percent of the 458 fish species assessed in Lake Malawi are at high risk of extinction.
To protect the country’s biodiversity and foster its growth by 2063, Mbale-Luka said Malawians should engage in tree planting, avoid indiscriminate waste disposals and adopt proper farming practices, among others.
By Yamikani Makanga
