Malawi Landscape Restoration Forum (5th oct 2023)

The forum aimed to meet the following objectives:

• Share results on analytical work for FLR prepare under the AREECA program where the World Bank has been a consortium partner.
• Share experiences in forest landscape restoration in Malawi been led by the Government of Malawi and financed by the World Bank, development partners and private sector.
• Share financial mechanisms supporting FLR in different countries.
• Share updates on the FLR national strategy review.
• Showcase the use of technological tools for assessing biodiversity and the health of landscapes.

In order to meet the expected outcomes of the forum, the FLR forum included presentations and discussions around the following main topics:

• Cost and benefit analysis of FLR in selected areas of Malawi.
• Financial instruments of public sector for FLR.
• World Bank FLR interventions in Bank projects in Malawi.
• FLR and Biodiversity.
• Private sector engagement in FLR.
• FLR as a Nature-Based Solutions.
• Update of the FLR national strategy.

Workshop Participants 

A total of 227 people joined the workshop (Annex 1- list of Participants). Participants represented a wide range of national and international stakeholders. These included:

• Government agencies of Malawi
• AREECA partners
• Local communities
• NGOs
• Private sector
• Development partners
• Ministry of Environment, Costa Rica
• Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ethiopia

Programme

The forum was opened by Dr. Yusuf Mkungula, Secretary for Natural Resources and Climate Change after remarks from Mr. Knut Gummert, Deputy Head of Development Cooperation of German Embassy in Malawi and Mr. Hugh Riddel, World Bank Malawi Country Manager. After the opening session, 4 technical sessions and 2 panel discussions followed. 

The forum was closed by the Director of Forestry, who thanked all the participants for their active participation in the forum, which went longer than expected due to intense discussions. Ms Gama expressed her hope following the forum's discovery of opportunities to potentially areas for improvement the nation's forests and landscapes restoration drive despite the many obstacles. She assured participants that Malawi has the enabling environment to fast track transformation in how restoration is undertaking by describing the existing robust, ambitious, and progressive policy frameworks.

She acknowledged in a particular way the technical knowledge and enthusiastic involvement of representatives from Ethiopia and Costa Rica who offered a variety of experiences and success stories in restoring landscapes. As she concluded, she urged all the delegates to continue staying involved and take greater initiative, as this will make space for some of the forum's major outcomes to be implemented.

Mr. Hugh Riddel, World Bank Malawi Country Manager

Director of Forestry Ms Gama thanking participants and giving closing remarks