National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2006.

This National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) is a multi-sectoral policy document at national level. The NBSAP outlines the status of the various biodiversity resources in Malawi and stipulates strategies and actions necessary to ensure the management and sustainable utilisation of biodiversity. In addition this strategy demonstrates Malawi's commitment to implementing the requirement of the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The strategy established four goals: 1. Actively protect, conserve and maintain protected areas, mountains and species within them; promote restoration of degraded and vulnerable ecosystems and habitats and recovery of rare and threatened species. 2. Enhance and improve biodiversity knowledge base through research; strengthen and build human and infrastructure capacity for effective information dissemination and research. 3. Enhance agricultural production through active protection and management of agricultural biodiversity and support initiatives that encourage fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of the genetic resources. 4. Enhance community understanding and appreciation of biodiversity, and support coordinated community action to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity. Guided by the goals, the NBSAP identified strategies and actions covering the following themes: terrestrial biodiversity; aquatic biodiversity; sustainable use of biological diversity; indigenous knowledge, access and benefit sharing; biotechnology; invasive species; biodiversity policies and legislation; community participation; information, knowledge and capacity; incentive measures; and Malawi's role in global biodiversity conservation.
To reduce poverty the following actions will be undertaken: Conduct public and political awareness campaigns on the role of agrobiodiversity in poverty reduction and economic development and the role of communities through active farmers clubs in agrobiodiversity conservation; participation of all stakeholders in the conservation of forest biodiversity; Strengthen the capacity of local communities to develop and implement community based programmes on conservation and sustainable use of forest biological diversity; Document and promote knowledge, innovations and practices of local communities relevant to conservation and sustainable use of biological resources; Develop incentives for local level and private sector participation in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.; etc.
More inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems will be built through development of markets for the agricultural and natural resource products (including non timber and wildlife products) and sustainable financing mechanisms. Actions include: (a) Conduct socio-economic surveys to establish new potential products and facilitate local market development. (b) Improve existing products and their marketing locally and internationally. (c) Establish the monetary value of Agriculture and Natural Resource Products. (d) Encourage development of community cooperatives for agricultural and natural resource products. (e) Provide credit schemes to support local community cooperatives and other low-income groups. (f) Promote multiplication distribution and marketing of indigenous genetic material of plants with high commercial value. (g) Undertake an inventory of available financing mechanisms and document lessons and experiences. (h) Develop innovative sustainable financing mechanism strategies as incentives to biodiversity conservation. (i) Undertake community training and awareness campaigns on sustainable financing mechanisms.
One of the strategies proposed in the NBSAPis to develop and implement mechanisms to prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of forest fires on biological diversity. Actions include: (a) Strengthen the existing measures and mechanisms on forest fire management, including developing guidelines that promote community participation in fire prevention activities. (b) Strengthen policies and institutional infrastructure that address fire prevention and ensure that such policies are integrated into other sectoral policies. (c) Promote participatory research on forest fire management.