A study by the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) has revealed a significant gap in the application of a human rights-based approach and its practices in the country’s biodiversity conservation actions.
This was disclosed in Dowa during the dissemination and capacity building meeting on the study findings and recommendations under the Malawi Ecosystem Assessment, which the country has been carrying out since 2021.
The study aimed to document and assess the application of the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) in biodiversity and ecosystem management in the country.
Human Rights-Based Approach in biodiversity conservation ensures that biodiversity conservation respects, protects, and fulfils the rights of local communities and individuals.
According to the study lead, from the University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Alice Kam’mwamba, stakeholders in various biodiversity conservation efforts often undermine both human rights and long-term conservation goals, noting that this reduces participatory and inclusive governance of Biodiversity at both community and national levels.
“These findings are drawn directly from the voices of communities in Nsanje, Mulanje, Mzimba, Rumphi, Zomba, and Salima. They reveal a significant gap between the theory of the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) and its practice on the ground,” Said Kammwamba.
Chief environmental officer under the Environmental Affairs Department, Clement Tikiwa, highlighted the need to adopt a human rights-based approach to biodiversity conservation, noting that it is not simply a technical choice but a moral commitment.
“Human rights-based approach on biodiversity conservation calls on us to put people at the centre of conservation to ensure that every policy, programme, and decision promotes fairness, participation, employment, and accountability. It reminds us that protecting the biodiversity also means protecting the rights of the most vulnerable,” he said.
He further indicated that the dissemination workshop has come at the right time, as the country is reviewing the national environmental policy and strengthening the Malawi Environmental Protection Authority’s role in enforcement.
The study has recommended a bottom-up approach in planning and implementation of biodiversity conservation efforts, transparency compensation processes for wildlife loss, respecting the agreed boundaries and cultural sites, as well as linking biodiversity conservation to livelihood, among others.
Chief Environmental Officer in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Lilian Chiphepo, acknowledged the research findings, noting that the Ministry will go out and disseminate the recommendations to inform biodiversity conservation policies at both the local and national levels.
The dissemination and capacity building meeting on the human rights-based approach in biodiversity conservation brought together traditional leaders, members from academia, environmental affairs department officials, and stakeholders in biodiversity conservation.
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, LUANAR, the Environmental Affairs Department, in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), with financial support from Swedbio has been conducting the study on the application of a human rights-based approach to biodiversity conservation which is under the National Ecosystem Assessment initiative.
By Chisomo Break
