Forestry Act (Chapter 63:01).

This Act provides for the management and conservation of forestry resources in Malawi. The Act is made up of 87 sections, divided into 13 Parts: Preliminary (I); Administration (II); Forest Management Board (III); Forest Reserves and Protected Forest Areas (IV); Customary Land Forest (V) ; Afforestation (VI); Forest Protection (VII); Utilization of Forest Produce in Forest Reserves and Customary Land (VIII); Establishment of Forest Development and Management Fund (IX); Offences and Penalties (X); International Co-Operation in Forestry (XI); Regulations (XIII); Repeal and Savings (XIV).
The principal areas covered by this Act are participatory forestry, forest management, forestry research, forestry education, forest industries, protection and rehabilitation of environmentally fragile areas, sustainable use of forest products, agroforestry, strengthening of institutions, trafficking in forestry produce, biodiversity conservation, establishment of a forestry administration.
The purposes of this Act are— (a) to identify and manage areas of permanent forest cover as protection or production forest in order to maintain environmental stability; to prevent resource degradation and to increase social and economic benefits; (b) to augment, protect and manage trees and forest on customary land in order to meet basic fuelwood and forest produce needs of local communities and for the conservation of soil and water; (c) to promote community involvement in the conservation of trees and forests in forest reserves and protected forest areas in accordance with the provisions of this Act; (d) to empower village natural resources management committees to source financial and technical assistance from the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations and other organizations;(e) to promote sustainable utilization of timber, fuelwood and other forest produce; (f) to promote optimal land use practices through agroforestry in smallholder farming systems; (g) to upgrade the capability of forestry institutions in the implementation of their resource management responsibilities and in development of human resources in forestry; (h) to control trafficking in wood and other forestry produce including exportation and importation; (i) to protect fragile areas such as steep slopes, river banks, water catchment and to conserve and enhance biodiversity; (j) to provide guidelines in planning and implementation of forestry research and forestry education; (k) to establish a forestry administration; and (l) to promote bilateral, regional and international co-operation in forest augmentation and conservation